Legendary Athlete
by FalconPain
Summary: A trainer successfully captures Mewtwo against his will with intent to train him for... the Pokéathlon? Will Mewtwo be able to adjust? What about his teammates? Will he ever regain his freedom? And most importantly, what was his trainer thinking?
1. Catch

**Event 1: Catch**

Even after so many years, Mewtwo was still not used to having visitors.

When he was out and about, every encounter he had with a human or Pokémon happened on his own terms. His abilities to teleport and meddle with the minds of others made sure of that. But the fact was that even a powerful being such as him could occasionally grow tired, and when it came time for him to seek rest, it was healthier for him to limit his psychic output for the duration. He was by no means defenseless, but he still found it convenient to wait until he was being threatened before making any effort to defend himself.

This included making any effort to hide his presence.

In fact, whenever he was in the Kanto region, he wouldn't even bother to seek different shelters. He had found a cave on the outskirts of Cerulean City that was to his liking, and he didn't feel like giving it up anytime soon. Besides, considering that the people of the town had done everything short of actually sealing off the cave to make sure that only particularly accomplished humans and their Pokémon ever went into the place, it was not as though lines were forming to track him down.

In short, he could easily assume that anyone who went into the cave and made it all the way to his chamber was specifically there to meet him. Not only that, but such people were sufficiently skilled to be worth his attention.

Best of all, the route necessary to reach him was long enough that he could awaken from his slumber, overcome all lingering signs of fatigue, and make himself appear presentable and menacing by the time anyone could lay eyes upon him.

This latest human looked to be recently out of his teens and stood reasonably tall, about half a foot shy of the psychic Pokémon's own height. More obvious was the human's muscle tone; he looked as though he spent much of his time exercising. His outfit reflected this as well; he was clad in a loose fitting T-shirt and shorts, most likely chosen to be comfortable and easy to wear. The backpack he bore was bulky, but it was difficult to get a read on its contents from size alone.

Trainers of his body type tended to specialize in fighting-type Pokémon, Mewtwo considered. This was not wise when facing psychics.

The two Pokémon that stood behind him didn't reflect this theme at all. Slightly to the left, a large Feraligatr (Mewtwo had always believed that the human pronunciation of its species suggested another vowel near the end), still dripping wet from having carried his master along the watery route that led to this point. On the right, a slightly shorter yet no less imposing Dragonite, his facial expression betraying few hints of the species' usual friendly personality. Backed by these Pokémon, the human almost looked small.

"_Why have you come here?"_ Mewtwo asked in his sternest telepathic baritone. Truth be told, he could have easily avoided the question entirely by reading his visitor's mind, but he felt no need to do so. For one thing, if he permitted the human to explain himself, he could compare his words to his thoughts and determine whether or not he was trustworthy before he ever had a chance to prove it with his actions.

The human stopped suddenly, his hand no longer moving toward his backpack. _He wants to capture me_, Mewtwo ascertained quickly. _Remain cautious and prepare to defend._

"You can talk", his visitor said in a tone that attempted and failed to veil his surprise. "Maybe this'll work out easier than I expected."

Mewtwo crossed his arms. _"What was it that you expected?"_

A shrug. "I'm not really sure. Thought you'd be a lot bigger, too, what with people calling you the most powerful Pokémon in the world and all." The human paused for a moment, and then quickly waved his hands. "No, no, not saying you aren't… I guess looks can deceive, right?"

The psychic Pokémon found some satisfaction in what the human had heard about him, but didn't allow his face to betray it. _"You should be aware that I do not intend to be captured without proper proof of strength, Anton."_

"Sounds good to me", the human said with a quick nod.

_He didn't even flinch_, Mewtwo thought to himself. _He knows more about me than he's letting on. "You are also aware that you require more than two Pokémon to present me with a proper challenge?"_

"I might not even need them." Anton glanced behind himself briefly. "If you don't mind."

"_You do not sincerely believe…"_

Mewtwo's mental words trailed off as soon as he saw the human break into a dash directly at him. Not that this would merit stopping his train of thought. He raised a single three-fingered hand at the approaching human and, with a single thought, stopped him in his tracks.

"_You do not sincerely believe"_, he restarted, _"that __**you**__ are capable of defeating me in any manner?"_

While Anton's attempts to move his body were useless, his opponent had granted him the right to speak. "…is that… your strength?"

Mewtwo nodded slowly.

"…no… that can't be it… that power is worthless…"

A second later, the human was sent flying backward from his position with a great deal of force. The Dragonite quickly took off from his standing position to intercept, and caught him in his arms before he struck the ground.

As they caught their breath, they looked up again to meet the now glowing eyes of the psychic Pokémon. _"You are in no position to insult me."_

The human started to mumble. "…that wasn't…"

(Stop!), the Feraligatr loudly growled, drowning out his voice. (We aren't here to hurt you!)

"Fine." Anton, no longer held by his Pokémon, pointed at the psychic. "You two try it, then."

Upon receiving his instructions, the two reptiles glanced at each other and nodded. The Feraligatr immediately went at the cave floor with his claws, and in fewer than five seconds had managed to tunnel beneath it. At the same time, the Dragonite ascended as high as he could in the subterranean area using his wings and watched his opponent carefully.

Mewtwo shook his head. _"I am not impressed."_ He immediately levitated from the ground, putting him out of range of the lower Pokémon. With that threat averted, his attention focused on the Dragonite.

(He means it), the Dragonite rumbled in a less friendly but more calm tone. (You should submit quietly.) This said, he swooped directly at the psychic.

Mewtwo sighed. His opponents had absolutely no sense of pattern recognition. With the same gesture as before, he stopped the dragon's momentum cold. _"It does not work that way. If you want me…"_

"Stop doing that!" Back on the ground, Anton was on his feet again and visibly beginning to lose his patience. "We want to see your _strength_!"

The psychic glared down at him briefly. Then, with a hint of a smirk on his expression, he telekinetically threw the Dragonite in the human's direction. _"If you insist."_

The human's reaction was quicker than expected. He dashed a bit past where the dragon's trajectory would have met the ground, came to a quick stop and raised his arms toward the cave ceiling. The Dragonite caught a quick glance of him. The human nodded.

At that moment, the Pokémon went into a midair forward somersault and extended its legs in the direction of the human. Half a second later, the two collided. Anton bent his knees slightly to brace as the dragon landed on his hands briefly, and then used his trainer as support to launch himself back into the air. Two seconds later, the Dragonite turned around again to gaze at the psychic, completely unharmed.

Mewtwo could only stare at the pair in surprise.

Unfortunately for him, that meant that for that brief moment, he had left his guard down.

Two large blue arms with claws wrapped around his chest from behind, and he was dragged by the other Pokémon and gravity back to the ground. As his body remained motionless in shock from the sudden assault, the claws began to grip him in various places. His upper arms, his hips, his waist, his tail…

A moment later, his state of mind recovered enough to struggle physically, but his captor was too strong. He felt himself being elevated and tilted backward until his back lay upon the Feraligatr's shoulder. He kicked at the air repeatedly, but it was of no use. In this position, it would be difficult to escape by any physical means.

And then he calmed slightly, and remembered that he didn't need them.

The Feraligatr instantly went catatonic and collapsed to the cave floor.

"No!" Anton, who seemed perfectly fine after having been used as his Pokémon's springboard, started to run toward the two. "What did you do to him?"

"_**Leave. Now." **_Mewtwo's eyes were glowing even brighter than before, and he had gripped the Feraligatr by the throat with one hand. The other was drawing energy into itself while pointing at the human and the Dragonite, successfully stopping their approach. _**"Or you will not leave at all."**_

(Don't you…) the Dragonite started before he saw the psychic's grip tighten. A second later, he was backing off slowly.

Anton started scratching his neck with one hand. "No… I can't leave. Not without him. There was that water we had to…"

"_**You should have thought of that before you told him to grab me."**_

"We didn't mean to… I mean, this wasn't…" Anton sighed loudly. "I'm sorry. I really didn't want to have to do this."

Mewtwo's expression didn't change. _**"You did not come here by accide-"**_

He immediately stopped speaking as he stopped the incoming Pokéball with his mind, forcing it to remain in midair. _**"You do not learn, human. That was your last mistake."**_ And with a single motion of his gripping hand…

…he was immediately pulled in the direction of the Pokéball, which had opened and was now doing its best to contain him.

This was stupid, he thought. He had barely been weakened at all, and there was absolutely no chance of him merely giving in, especially now. He summoned all of his inner power and focused it at the structure around him.

It failed.

Three seconds later, his confines solidified around him and a loud high-pitched tone signified a successful catch.

He immediately tried to resist with his mind. But it was too late. All he could do with even his impressive telepathic power was extend his consciousness a few feet from his prison. Far enough to contact the human that was now holding him, but simply not with enough power to read his mind or attack him.

"_How were you able to…?"_ His eyes widened considerably as he considered the possibility. _"Is this… a Master Ball?"_

"Yes", he heard the human say quietly and with a small amount of guilt. "I'm really sorry."

* * *

After about half an hour, Mewtwo started to notice something akin to fast-paced motion.

He tried his mental abilities again. Still far less than what he had hoped to achieve, but he could see Anton holding him as he... was apparently sitting on the Dragonite's back. He could only assume that the Pokémon was flying the human to another location.

"_Where are you taking me?"_

"Oh, good, you're talking to me again", the human immediately responded. "The thing is… I want to talk to you about this." A deep breath. "Now that you're calm and all."

Was he? He had plenty of reason to be angry, he knew. At the moment, he imagined his passive demeanor was a simple combination of resigning to his fate and conserving his energy for a more successful escape. After all, he'd been in a Pokéball at least once before, and he no longer considered such a device to be capable of earning his devotion by itself.

Still, he wasn't feeling nearly as much hatred toward the human. _"What is it?"_

The human started cautiously. "First thing… are you _really_ as strong as they say?"

Mewtwo's eye twitched. _"If not for this device, I am certain that you would be entirely at my mercy. Have my demonstrations not convinced you of that?"_

"No… the thing is, I think we're talking about different things." The psychic could perceive the human shaking his head. "I can tell you're a psychic. A really good one, too. But I still have no idea how _strong_ you are." He gestured. "I mean, how much can you lift? How fast do you run? I mean, I can't even tell if you can hit hard or dodge fast or…"

"_You are asking about me… as a physical specimen?"_

"Yeah."

Mewtwo thought for a moment. _"You are far from the first to seek my power. But I can assure you that none before you have shown any interest in my ability at such mundane tasks."_

"So… you don't actually know."

_No_, Mewtwo thought to himself impatiently. _Anyone rational wouldn't actually __**care**__._

On that subject, though, he decided it was worth figuring out that much before this conversation went any further. _"Do you truly know anything about me? Or did you search for me based on nothing but hearsay?"_

The Pokéball's angle adjusted slightly, as did the human's. "I did _some_ research. Something about how you were supposed to be some artificially-created perfect Pokémon." He sighed again. "I really wanted to learn if that was true _before_ I used that ball on you. It's not like I've got a second one."

"_I would not call your attempt at battle any credible form…"_

"Stop right there", Anton said sternly. "First off, I don't battle."

"_Really?" _Mewtwo asked incredulously. _"You use a Pokémon that is almost exclusively known as a battler's initial companion. The humans of Cerulean make a concentrated effort to ensure that people who have not been in at least a wide-scale battle __**tournament**__ do not go anywhere near my sanctum. You charge in with intent to test my strength. And __**you do not battle.**__"_

"Okay, I _used_ to battle. Better?" The human paused for a moment, coinciding with the Pokéball and everything else coming to a halt. "Why do you even care? I heard _you_ don't even battle much anymore."

_He definitely didn't choose to capture me at random_, Mewtwo concluded. _"Perhaps not, but I continue to value my freedom and peace of mind." _His tone of voice grew angrier. _"So you will inform me why you have captured me and flown me a sufficient distance to place us in the Johto region if you have no interest in my combat prowess."_

Anton lifted the Pokéball and pointed it in an unspecified direction. "Can you not see it?"

"_No. I cannot. You should be aware that the average Pokémon would not be able to see __**you**__ at this time."_

"Guess it can't be helped." His voice grew worrisome. "But I want you to hear me out, so please don't run away on me yet." Even more worrisome. "Or kill me or paralyze me or throw me far away or any of that other stuff you do."

Mewtwo almost grinned. Even in a state of captivity, he continued to be fearsome. _"If you can convince me that this could be worth my time, I may choose to lighten your punishment."_

"I hope you're joking."

"_Yes, you do."_

A few seconds later, Mewtwo's eyes struggled to adjust to the sunlight. In the meantime, his mind quickly identified the immediate surroundings. A human in front of him. An unwinged reptile standing next to the human. A winged reptile standing to his own side. And to the other side, a large building.

His eyes finally adjusted, and he took in the view. A large domed building stood between them and a body of water, complete with large burning torches extending from the top. Various humans and Pokémon walked around the area, including some that were running around at the fastest pace they could muster.

Anton raised his arm. "This is the Pokéathlon Dome. What do you think?"


	2. Capture

**Event 2: Capture**

The interior of the dome appeared to be cold and mechanical to Mewtwo at first glance. There were a number of aspects that stood out, such as the occasional plants that may or may not have been artificial and the bizarre bouncing lights on either side of the entryway. But aside from those, everything seemed to be signs and desks and people sitting at desks. It resembled one of the many buildings where the psychic had been kept during his youth, except currently far more intact.

"I'll never get bored of coming to this place", Anton proudly announced from behind him. "It's so cool and futuristic, isn't it?"

Rather than disagree with his sense of aesthetics, Mewtwo decided to get immediately to the point. _"What is a Pokéathlon, and why should I care about it?"_

"Glad you asked." The human took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. "Back in the day, some place got struck by some illness, so some guy and his Pokémon had to go fetch a cure. But then some stuff got in their way, so they did all these cool athletic things to get past them so they could deliver the cure and save the day."

"_Fascinating", _Mewtwo said dispassionately_. "Did this place or this human have names, or am I to refer to them as 'some place' and 'some guy' from now on?"_

Anton shrugged. "Okay, I don't know the details. For all I know, they made the whole thing up." He smiled. "It's the spirit of the thing, anyway."

"_I see. This building is a hospital."_

"No, this isn't that boring. Whoever built the dome decided to honor that guy and his Pokémon by coming up with a bunch of races and competitions based on all the cool things they did. That way we'll never forget what they were able to accomplish."

Mewtwo rolled his eyes. _"But remembering their names was clearly too much to ask."_ He glanced around again. _"I was brought here to engage in pretend heroics?"_

"I don't look at it that way." Anton started pointing at the various lights that danced around the entryway. "Speed, strength, skill, stamina, and jumping. The five great attributes all athletes strive for."

"_Is there no term to refer to one's jumping ability that begins with an S?"_

Anton didn't respond to that comment. His eyes had become almost reverent. "This is the place where people and Pokémon work together to achieve physical feats beyond those of mere mortals. To honor those who saved countless lives by refusing to accept their limitations, we train to become ever stronger so that we can do the same.

He turned his head to look at Mewtwo and smiled. "And nobody knocks anybody else out trying to do it, either."

Mewtwo thought about this for a moment. That kind of resolve, that desire to improve, without all of the hostilities he had known throughout his life… if this place existed to promote this kind of thinking, he could almost forgive the human for dragging him out here. He wondered why he had never heard about any of this before, and why more people and Pokémon weren't flocking to join this Pokéathlon at all times.

"_Pokémon and humans..." _he considered aloud,_ "working together, striving to fight against all of life's ills… side by side, each growing more powerful…"_

"No. Don't be stupid."

The human's sudden change of tone was enough to break Mewtwo's train of thought. _"I said nothing that you did not."_

"Only Pokémon compete in the Pokéathlon. The trainers are just here to train and advise them."

"_I see. In the end, this is merely another facet of Pokémon training."_

Anton glanced around at various passing people. "It's just as well. It's hard to believe the trainers could ever be a match for them, anyway." He pointed toward the back of the room. "They're starting a competition right now. Want to watch it?"

Mewtwo glanced at the human in confusion. _"It makes little sense to be a part of this activity without gaining any exposure to it."_

"…well, yeah, except that I wasn't sure you wanted anything to do with it. I mean, you could leave right now."

"_Yes"_, the psychic said. _"I could. Let us watch."_

* * *

The group of four had found it difficult to make it close enough to the edge of the viewing platform to see the Pokéathlon in action. The large crowds of humans, only some of whom had brought their Pokémon along for the show, currently had their attention glued to what appeared to be a dozen Pokémon pushing each other out of circles while attempting to remain within them themselves.

"_I have difficulty constructing a scenario where this struggle would be comparable to the delivery of medicine."_

"At this point", the human said under his breath, "I'm ready to let the whole legend thing drop." He raised his voice again. "This is called Circle Push."

"_A name as simplistic as the game."_

"There's more to it than it looks." He paused briefly while a whistle blew to signify the next score calculation. "You have to be strong enough to push them without being pushed out, sure, but you also have to be fast enough to make it to the next circle in time. There's also a bit of strategy to it."

Mewtwo nodded slowly. _"There is limited room."_

"Not just that. If you go to where the big points are, so will everyone else. Three of them can probably push you out by themselves. So you might want a few less points that are a sure thing. Things like that."

"_I expected them to put forth more of an effort."_

"They look pretty serious to me."

"_Watch the Arbok. He chooses a spot and resists anyone who attempts to move him. He could easily bite them or wrap…"_

"No." As Mewtwo turned his head to look at him, Anton clarified. "Pokémon aren't allowed to use their moves. I… guess he could wrap around another one, but that'd just make him easy to pin down. And he wouldn't be allowed to squeeze."

The psychic blinked. _"But without the use of their unique skills, what purpose does a trainer serve?"_

"Working on building raw power. That and teamwork." Anton's eyes lit up as soon as he had finished, and Mewtwo quickly figured out why. "Oh, I haven't introduced you yet, have I?"

He took a quick step back to clear the way between his conversation partner and the Feraligatr on his left, who had been watching the competition intently the entire time. "Stappy, say hi to Mewtwo."

Stappy turned his elongated maw in the direction of Mewtwo and lowered his head slightly. (I… shouldn't have grabbed you like that. Sorry about that.) He looked up again. (We're pretty nice. Really.)

At this point, Mewtwo was not in the mood to apologize to him or accept his apology. Instead, he focused on the immediate question that came to mind.

"_Stappy?"_

Anton's expression was halfway between smirking and embarrassment. "When I first got him, I wanted to call him Snappy. My dad said no. Half the Totodiles in Johto are probably named Snappy already. So… uh… I changed it a bit."

"_To Stappy."_

(He was ten years old), the Feraligatr protested. (Give him a break.)

"I was only ten", the human argued. "Give me a break."

Mewtwo nodded knowingly. _"I never doubted that he was your starter." _He leaned to the side to glance around Stappy briefly. _"Dragonites are far rarer."_

"Eli? I first met him in Blackthorn." The human grinned. "Someone in the gym there must've liked me."

Said Dragonite didn't look away from the action. (Are you going to stay?) he roared softly.

_I have yet to make such a decision._

(If you don't), Eli continued, (it will be bad. Anton may not be able to get another replacement now.)

Mewtwo tilted his head. _"A replacement?"_

"Did he just tell you?" Anton asked. He took a deep breath. "The thing is, we've been preparing for the Pokéathlon for a long time. Years, in fact. And right when we were ready to compete…" He sighed. "…right now, we no longer have a third teammate."

The psychic looked at him skeptically. _"You have no backups?"_

"I didn't think we needed one. We were a pretty close team, after all. Anyone else I train… it'd take a few more years. And the thing is…" He gestured to the two reptiles behind him. "…I don't want them to have to keep waiting. Not now."

"_So"_, Mewtwo concluded cautiously, _"you chose to use a shortcut. Grab the strongest Pokémon you could find and use him as their teammate."_

"It didn't have to be you", Anton admitted. "You were one of the best choices I could think of, but if you didn't want to..." He winced. "But I wanted to make sure you'd even be able to do it, and things got out of hand, and… well… we're here."

The psychic's gaze traveled to the human's belt. _"You have one Master Ball. You used it."_

"I know we started off on the wrong foot, and I know you like to use your mind more than your body, and I'm sure you think all of this is beneath you. But at this point, we really don't…"

"_If I believed that none of this could be of value"_, Mewtwo interrupted sternly, _"I would have already left."_ He shook his head in disgust at Anton. _"There __**are**__ things that are beneath me, and appeals to my better nature are among them. I suggest that you stop making them._

"_Instead, I recommend that you employ logic. If I was truly disinterested in the lives and desires of lesser beings, you would have had no opportunity to speak with me. If I refused to engage in activities simply due to their lack of importance, you would not have considered asking me at all."_

His eyes flashed purple just long enough for the human to notice. _"You still know who I am. That alone should be sufficient for you to believe that I have not rejected what you have to say."_ A pause for emphasis. _"Yet."_

Anton slowly swallowed. Mewtwo couldn't blame him. Those with whom he deigned to speak, humans and Pokémon alike, often didn't realize exactly who they were dealing with until he reminded them. To this day, he wasn't sure whether they found speeches like this frightening or reassuring. If he had it his way, it would be both.

Eventually the human dared to speak again. "But… that still doesn't answer my question."

Mewtwo crossed his arms. _"State your question again."_

"Will you be our third team member?"

"_Why should I?"_

This response seemed to flummox Anton again. Before he could come up with another answer, Mewtwo continued. _"That is not my question. That is my answer. It always has been."_

He gave the human fifteen seconds. As soon as he perceived that Anton was _still_ not getting it, he decided to elaborate again.

"_There is no reason to ask me to help you. Make me want to help you. Do you believe that I can be a Pokéathlete? Make me believe it. Show me how you do it. Give me a reason to try it." _He smiled from the corner of his mouth. _"I will remain here as long as I believe that this may be worth my time. Perhaps it is not. In that case, __**you will make it worth my time**__."_

His eyes began to glow again. _"If you cannot, then your existence will be of no further value to me. That is when I will punish you for your actions."_

The two reptiles continued to stare at him in shock. Anton was starting to sweat. His thoughts were clear and easily telegraphed. What had he gotten himself into?

"_You have captured me. Congratulations."_ Mewtwo glanced to his side at the arena, which had since become empty. _"The competition is over. Do we intend to remain present for the next one?"_

The human felt the eyes of the various Pokémon on him. This was no longer the time for him to act flustered. "It's getting late. Do we want to eat something while we're here, or should we wait until we get home?"

At once, Stappy and Eli roared something incomprehensible, at least to Mewtwo's ears.

"Here, then?" He looked into Mewtwo's eyes cautiously. "Will that be okay with you?"

"_I do not need special treatment"_, the psychic replied immediately. _"Assuming that your normal treatment is hospitable."_

With that said, the group began to move again. A quick escalator ride and a small amount of walking later, they had left the facility. To Mewtwo's surprise, it seemed even more extravagantly lit after nightfall.

"So… what do you eat, anyway?"

"_Food."_

Anton sighed. "I think we'll be happier about this as soon as we stop acting like we don't want to enjoy this."

"_Fair enough"_, Mewtwo said. _"I expect to be able to eat anything that you can. I __**can**__ eat Pokémon food, but I find it about as tasty as you do."_

"That's more like it." Anton paused to think about something. "And do you have any concerns about being seen in public?"

"_I prefer not to be noticed." _The psychic was grinning again. _"Did it occur to you that no one noticed me for the entire duration of our visit to that dome?"_

"So you were…"

"_Or you, for that matter?"_

Anton glanced to the side briefly. "Actually, I _did_ notice that." He reached for the Master Ball on his belt. "Still, maybe I should save you some work."

"_I do not mind. Yet."_

With a quick movement of the device, it recalled Mewtwo to its confines. Anton gazed at the closed sphere briefly. "Just as long as you let me know when you _do_ mind…"

"_I can do that."_

Anton nodded briefly, placed the ball upon his belt again and prepared to climb upon Eli's back. At the same time, he got Stappy's Pokéball ready.

"…_I have an additional concern."_

"What is it?"

"_The competitor that you intend for me to replace… he or she did not depart from your team on good terms. Is that true?"_

He recalled the Feraligatr to his container quickly and grumbled. "The whole situation was stupid."

"_Just thinking about it still hurts you."_

"I guess it does", Anton replied. "What made you think that?"

"_When you miss someone dear to you, their name is foremost in your mind", _Mewtwo explained confidently. _"Your third Pokémon is buried behind enough mental blocks that __**I**__ cannot identify it."_

A groan. "Are you going to keep trying to read my mind?"

_"Never let it be said that I have taken no interest in your plight."_


	3. Hurdle

**Event 3: Hurdle**

Mewtwo awoke to the smell of something being cooked.

While he didn't like to reveal this fact to others, it always took him a while to reorient himself after his awakening. His mind had a tendency to wander in his sleep, and given the mind that he had, the mental journeys tended to be particularly lengthy and involved.

Last night had been no exception. Naturally, it had started with Anton's mind. The investigation had ended abruptly; the human had picked up on the fact that his new acquisition was inquisitive and had been shielding his thoughts to the best of his ability. This would do little to keep a decent psychic out, aside from the usual memory that he seemed to be keeping from even himself, but Mewtwo didn't want to forcibly intrude against his wishes without a good reason.

Instead, he had focused on the other two Pokémon.

None of the three had been in their Pokéballs overnight, it seemed. Neither of the others was on guard, so their minds were easily examined. No events seemed to stand out for them, but at least he knew where to look for additional information if he decided that something was worth studying.

Aside from the trio, and a human girl named Mandie who he had been keeping mental tabs on for the past ten hours and who had yet to make his effort pay off, it was the usual mental eavesdropping for him. Little to pay attention to, and nothing worth remembering.

Now that he had taken some time to recuperate, he identified his current position. It appeared to be the interior of some form of hand-built structure located in an open valley of the mountains northwest of Ecruteak City. That made the nearest human settlement… the farm on the road to the south. Indeed, he had yet to identify a route to civilization that wouldn't require flight.

Logically, that meant that there was a very good chance that he started living here only after he obtained Eli, or another Pokémon that could carry him.

The structure itself was roomy, although not containing many rooms. More likely, he considered, the objects were arranged so that reptiles that naturally exceeded seven feet in height _before_ they attempted to dominate athletic competitions could move about freely, including their lengthy tails and one's wings.

That was a good sign. Trainers who routinely let their Pokémon move about freely were less annoying to him.

Stappy's toothy maw poked around the jamb of the room's sole doorway. (Are you awake?) he asked. (The morning meal is almost ready.)

"_I am"_, Mewtwo replied, and promptly vanished.

* * *

Anton was attempting to balance some form of meat upon a metal device that he held above a heated service when Mewtwo appeared in the room slightly behind him. _"I am awake"_, he announced.

The human started suddenly, causing the meat to slide dangerously close to the edge of the device. He quickly moved to compensate. "Don't scare me like that!"

"_Teleports are more useful when they are quick and lengthy"_, the psychic explained. _"You are easily startled."_

"I guess I'm more used to Stappy and Eli." He seemed to be more amused than annoyed now. "When they enter the room, it's easy to tell."

"_I do not doubt that."_

"Did you sleep well? Was your room okay? We usually don't have this many staying here at once, so I kinda had to move things around."

"_I will inform you directly when I have a complaint."_

Anton peered at the meat more closely. "Anyway, breakfast isn't ready yet. Give me about ten minutes."

The psychic suddenly turned his head to the side. _"Something has come up"_, he announced quickly. _"I will return in sufficient time."_

Without waiting for any form of confirmation, he quickly teleported out of the building and found himself in a forest. Doing his best to remain unnoticed by anyone in the vicinity, he carefully watched for several minutes as a blob of pure poison attempted to defeat a six-tailed fox in combat.

It was enough to confirm his suspicions.

* * *

"Do you like it?"

Mewtwo glanced up from the provided plate to look the human directly in the eyes. From appearances, it was difficult to tell if he was more interested in the well-being of his guest or if he was concerned with the well-being of himself in the worst case scenario. His mentally-exuded emotion, however, contained elements of both.

Without averting his gaze, he levitated another piece of meat into his mouth and chewed slowly. This had no effect on his ability to communicate. _"It is filling and contains its share of flavor, but the meal itself is dull. The choice of food is basic and no thought was put into presentation."_

The words "Pokémon connoisseur" popped into Anton's mind briefly, but were quickly discarded. "I can only cook meals. I'm not a chef."

"_In the bluntest sense"_, the psychic continued, _"I speculate that this may be the human equivalent of Pokémon food_."

"You're pretty close", Anton said. "I took a look at what they use in Pokémon food and tried to make something similar. While still tasting good, anyway."

"_Do you consider yourself a nutritionist?"_

"Not at all. I really don't know what works, so… I just look at what others do, try things and hope for the best." He waved his arm in the direction of the other two Pokémon, who were still eating something less akin to Mewtwo's own meal. "Like for them, I try to add more protein to the usual mix. They're bigger and they eat meatier things, so it works out." He shrugged. "Besides, we get more interesting things when we eat elsewhere. That is, when we get the chance and can spare the money."

"_Money is a factor?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"It has to be. The way I figure it, the rest of my savings will last… somewhere from a year to a year and a half."

_An arbitrary time limit_, Mewtwo concluded. _Yet another possible factor into his decision to capture me. "You do not have the means to earn additional funds?"_

"It's not that simple", Anton argued. "I made that money from years of battling. We've been working toward this for a while… the way I see it, two things can happen. We succeed, we get famous, and we get plenty of chances to make money from that… or we fail, we give up, and I start saving up again from scratch. Either way, I just can't worry about it now. Our training comes first."

The psychic continued to eat quietly for a while, and then decided to make his planned counterargument. _"Mandie already won a battle today."_

"What?"

"_Mandie won a battle today. She was traveling along the forest roads south of Ecruteak when she came across a Vulpix, so she defeated it with her Grimer."_

Anton stared at the Pokémon in confusion. "Who's Mandie? A trainer you know?"

The psychic crossed his arms. _"The female who won the Pokéathlon competition that we observed yesterday."_ He took a breath and gathered his thoughts. _"The leader of one of four teams that entered, and the one who left carrying the medals. But today, she journeys and battles like a common trainer."_

He closed his eyes. _"Having seen this, I fail to understand why your method of Pokéathlon training requires so much effort. I would not expect it to require more than a few days more than standard Pokémon care, let alone several years." _His eyes opened again. _"Meanwhile, you seem to have done__** nothing but training**__, and you are __**still**__ not ready?"_

Anton stood to collect the various dishes. "You make it sound so simple", he protested. "It's true. Anyone can get a medal on the right day. That's not what I'm going for."

"_If you have a good explanation, I want to hear it."_

"Two things. First, if she won them yesterday, that was the Power course. Her Pokémon were chosen to be powerful." He grinned. "We're going for _all five_. In _one fell swoop._"

(It's true), Eli added. (We're not focusing on one thing. We're not even going to be decent at all of the events.) He spread his wings proudly. (When we make our debut, the three of us are going to be better than _all _of their teams at _everything_.)

(Uh…) Stappy, at his side, was looking down at the table for some reason.

(Don't mind him), Eli tried to reassure Mewtwo. (He's still worried about his jumping skills.)

(I'm just not that good at it), the Feraligatr admitted. (I don't think anyone of my kind is.)

(I keep telling him that it won't matter), the Dragonite continued. (We have a plan for those events. He will not ruin anything.) His roar softened. (He is better than me at a few other events, anyway.)

"_You sound confident"_, Mewtwo acknowledged, _"but I have yet to see evidence of your performance."_

"Those years haven't gone to waste", Anton said. "I know they can do it. And that's one reason why… I'm really hoping you can, too."

"_I promise nothing. What is the second part of your explanation?"_

"There's a scoring system", the human revealed. "If you do better at the events, you get more points. They keep track of totals for different things. Some of it's for prize payouts, or individual superlatives, but… the important thing's how they register the top score in each event, in each course, and so on."

His smile had widened considerably. "We're not just going to win all the medals. We'll be breaking some records, too." He gestured in the direction of the door. "Anyone can be good, but we've gotta train a lot to be the absolute best."

At his cue, the other Pokémon headed outside. Mewtwo followed them quietly, but with a few concerns on his mind.

_Even if I choose to stay with them... even if I become the teammate that they want me to be, are they genuinely demanding that I outperform every competitor we meet with relatively little time to practice?_

_Using physical means?_

_I only occasionally __**walk**__._

* * *

Aside from his mental observations earlier, this was Mewtwo's first look at the exterior of the building.

The entire immediate area appeared as though it was designed for physical training. Various exercise tools, open areas for running, and what he strongly suspected were mockups of the Pokéathlon events. All within a grassy area, some of which had been cleared, surrounded entirely by mountains. It was practically an athletic hideaway. Anton took his training very seriously, it seemed.

"The first thing we'll work on today is the Goal Roll", Anton announced to the others as they followed him. "It's a good place to start building teamwork and I really want to see what Mewtwo can already do."

They came to a stop near a fairly simple structure consisting of two large posts that had been pounded into the ground, connected by a horizontal bar at top. Some large and heavy-looking spheres rested near it.

The human turned to face Mewtwo. "This one's simple. The goal is…"

"_I have already seen this event. The competitors played it yesterday during our argument."_

"Oh." Mewtwo was immediately able to tell that Anton hadn't been paying attention at that time. "Let's just make sure. Explain the rules."

The psychic sighed. This was already starting to be inane. _"Four teams of three Pokémon exist on a field, each with a corner and a color-designated goal. As many as three spheres appear on the field. Everyone struggles to force the spheres through a differently-colored goal. Doing so deducts a point from the score of that team, while a point is awarded to the last opponent who touched the sphere. Alternately-colored balls are worth more points, although I only noticed one other color. After an arbitrary amount of time, the game ends, and... I know nothing of the overall scoring method, though earning more points is clearly beneficial."_ He stared at the human intently. _"Have I misunderstood anything?"_

"No…" he responded slowly. "I think you got it. It's just… this is the first time I've had a Pokémon explain the details of something they do to me. You know… not just giving them instructions, but knowing that they not only understand, but can correct me or…"

"_I am pleased that I have made your day more interesting"_, Mewtwo interrupted sarcastically. "_Continue training."_

"…well, okay then." Anton pointed at the sphere. "Try moving that ball."

Less than a second later, the ball was floating in midair, lifted by an unseen power.

The human crossed his arms. "We've been over this. They're not going to let you use any of that psychic stuff."

"_I have __**not **__forgotten"_, Mewtwo said angrily. _"I am __**testing its weight**__."_ To punctuate his statement, the sphere came crashing down to the ground. There was a loud noise, but neither the sphere nor the ground showed signs of damage.

"Oh."

"_You will find me a more gracious guest if you refrain from assuming that I am in any way forgetful or absent-minded."_ He walked over slowly to the ball's position and attempted to grip it with both hands. After a small amount of struggling, he sighed and let go. _"It is difficult to lift."_

"You don't really need to be able to lift it", the human pointed out. "Just try pushing it."

(Grabbing it's also a waste of effort), Eli added from the side. (You're better off just leaning on it and using your weight.)

_That could be problematic_, Mewtwo thought. _They are considerably bulkier than I am._

Still, he made the attempt. Using his right shoulder, he leaned against the ball and attempted to push against it. After some coaxing, it started rolling slowly. He picked up speed to match, and soon he was rolling the ball around the immediate area, although not in a manner he found comfortable.

"Okay, that's the first basic", Anton said approvingly. "Now try shooting it."

"_Shooting?"_ Mewtwo looked down at his hand. Using something akin to a Shadow Ball or the like was against the rules, but what else could he use to…

(He means you hit the ball hard), Stappy said. (That way it goes into the goal quickly and you don't get too close.)

Oh. That was different. The psychic nodded, closing his fingers into an approximation of a fist…

(**Stop!**) Mewtwo looked up suddenly at the worried expression of the Dragonite. (Not like that! You'll hurt yourself!)

He sighed. _"He is not being very helpful with his explanations."_

(Try charging into it. Use your body. Not your hands, or your head, or your tail.)

(**Especially** not your tail), Stappy added with a wincing expression. (I tried that once. I will never try it again.)

_At least the other Pokémon are being helpful_, Mewtwo considered bitterly. He took a few steps back, then dashed forward directly into the ball with his shoulder.

This resulted in the ball traveling a good ten feet or so, bouncing off the side of one of the posts and traveling off to the side a short distance. This also resulted in the psychic clutching his shoulder in pain and thinking extremely angry thoughts that the others could easily hear.

"Please calm down", Anton suggested as he moved toward the pained Pokémon. "It's not that bad." His eyes lit up. "It's not even as bad as losing a battle, is it?"

Mewtwo had yet to be in a position where he had lost a battle due to being overpowered and brutally beaten. As a result, that statement was of little comfort to him. _"Make the pain stop. __**Now.**__"_

The human nodded quickly. "Eli, you know where the potions are. Get one. Fast." At the sound of this, the Dragonite took off for the house immediately. Even faster than Mewtwo had seen most Pokémon run, and without using his wings.

Anton wasn't done trying to comfort him. "That wasn't a bad first try. We'll keep at it. In time you'll move it more easily, it'll hurt less, and it'll go where you want it."

"_Do you expect me to keep doing this?"_ the psychic asked in an accusatory tone.

"We all have trouble at first. I mean, watch this." The human walked over to the ball, and then around it. As the remaining two Pokémon watched, he ran into it in a manner similar to the way Mewtwo had used and was currently regretting. Except it wasn't going toward the goal. It was heading directly for…

In an instant, Stappy moved into its path and struck the ball with his own charge, causing it to head in the almost-opposite direction and roll directly between the bars. The Feraligatr turned to face the psychic with a toothy smile. (If you keep working at it, it becomes second nature. That didn't hurt much at all.)

Mewtwo nodded slowly. _"But that's only after you've practiced it for…"_

He froze.

There had been a puzzle resting in the back of his mind since the previous evening. And the pieces were suddenly starting to come together. He had found most of them already, but he hadn't seen how they intertwined… nor had he considered that the final picture could have been so much different from what he originally anticipated.

Even though the expression on his face was still dumbfounded, he turned to look at Anton again as he returned to Stappy's side. _"I have a question."_

"What is it?"

"_You wish for me to train alongside these two to form a new Pokéathlon team to replace a previous one that only recently split apart?"_

The human nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure you know that."

Despite his effort, Mewtwo couldn't make his expression any less bewildered. _"The missing third member… it was __**you**__, correct?"_

Both Anton and Stappy stared directly at him. After a moment, the sound of a door opening could be heard. "Eli should have that potion", the human said quickly. "We'll fix you up in…"

"_Do not pretend that I am not right."_

He knew he was. The evidence had done nothing but pile up.

…all three of them had the outward appearance of athletes…  
…Anton had been strong enough to stand Eli springing off his back…  
…and Eli had done it without instruction, proving that they'd done it before…  
…Anton had spoken so proudly of Pokémon and humans working side by side…  
…only to become bitter immediately as soon as Mewtwo considered the literal meaning…  
…he refused to talk about the third member of the group…  
…he had to hastily prepare a room for Mewtwo, even though if there had recently been a fourth member, such a room should have already existed…  
…he was even basing his _own_ food off Pokémon food recipes…  
…and now the perfect Goal Roll pass, as if he and Stappy had been lifelong teammates…

Stappy was the first one to respond. (He didn't want us to tell you. Forgive us.)

And then there was the second bit of confirmation, as Mewtwo perceived the mental blocks tightly binding the truth in Anton's head steadily coming undone.

He shook his head. _"What were you thinking? The rules clearly read that only Pokémon are…"_

"Don't you **dare** say that to me!" Anton suddenly shouted in response. "You thought the same thing!"

The psychic refused to react in shock. _"I never believed it to be true."_

"I heard the way you said it! I remember it clearly! You heard the story… you heard the lesson… you were thinking about it… you were smiling… Pokémon and humans, working together side by side, both growing stronger, right?"

"_Yes"_, he answered, _"but I confirmed the facts first."_

Anton was sitting on the ground now, refusing to look up. "…you know you did… you thought the same thing…"


	4. Goal

**Event 4: Goal**

Anton climbed off the back of his Feraligatr and once again felt the solid ground beneath his feet. As he stretched his limbs briefly, he took a look at the cliff wall near their position. Aside from a few small cave-like openings, there was nothing of note.

"I know they said there was a tower in this area", he mumbled half to himself. "I don't see it." His attention moved to the side of the cliff. Part of it looked as though it would make for perfect handholds. "Unless…"

The Feraligatr lumbered to his side, still dripping wet from the trip. Anton looked at him and nodded. "We might be able to find something if we climb up here." A brief pause as he thought more about this. "…no, you're still a bit tired from carrying me, aren't you, Stappy? Let's not overdo it. We'll rest for a bit before we try it, okay?"

Stappy nodded. Anton turned and looked at the wall again. "I'd kinda like to see what's in these caves, anyway."

The exploration didn't take long. The first cave was fairly uninteresting and small in general. The second one seemed to go deeper and had a bit more open space.

Anton knelt to the cave floor, placed his flashlight where it would make things easier to see, and removed his backpack. "This should be a good place to rest and dry off. Also, a bit of food wouldn't…"

He was interrupted by a scraping sound. He couldn't quite place it. Keeping quiet, he gestured for Stappy to investigate.

Before the Feraligatr could, a surprisingly fast rock creature dashed up to the pair, seized the backpack and ran for the entrance.

Anton identified it immediately. "A Graveler?" He grumbled. "I hate Gravelers. Especially after they polish themselves."

Stappy knew how to handle this. A quick burst of water flew from his mouth and struck the Graveler in the back, causing it to fall to the ground. The backpack landed a few feet away, apparently undamaged.

The human grinned. "It should know better than to deal with water." He headed to Stappy's side. "Let's be careful. There could be more of them in h…"

The Graveler's body began to glow white.

Anton's eyes widened.

For him, everything seemed to move slowly.

…Stappy pushed him away from the entrance…

…he fell to the ground…

…the Graveler glowed more brightly…

…Stappy dashed to the backpack and swung his tail…

…the backpack slid further away from the Graveler and stopped just outside the cave entrance…

…cracks began to form in the Graveler's body…

…Stappy turned toward the Graveler and opened his mouth again…

…the bright light was blinding…

* * *

"'_We were exploring a cave when a Graveler attacked us and then exploded.' Say that next time."_ Mewtwo winced slightly as Anton applied potion to his shoulder. _"You do not need to make it sound dramatic."_

"That's how it felt to me", Anton said softly. "Besides, the details are kinda important here."

"_Explain."_

"Well, since the explosion caused part of the cave to collapse, it means I was trapped inside, my backpack and all of my things, including my Pokéballs, were outside, and I had no idea if Stappy survived."

Mewtwo turned his head to look at the Feraligatr. _"I suspect that he did."_

"Anyway", Anton continued, "the point is that I was trapped in there for two hours until help arrived."

(Closer to an hour and thirty minutes), Stappy clarified. (After trying to clear the rubble for a few minutes, I decided to head to the closest town.)

"_I assume you refer to Cianwood."_

(I wouldn't know.) The Feraligatr sighed. (I tried to explain the situation to a Chansey there. It must have worked, because a few others and their trainers went out to get him.)

"_You did not?"_

(I was being treated by a nurse.)

Mewtwo could feel the medicine start to work. He turned his attention back to Anton. _"He says that he requested a rescue effort at the nearest town."_

"I guess they were quick enough." The human sighed. "Not that it helped on my end. I just tried to breathe normally and dig my way out."

Mewtwo briefly considered the possibility of oxygen deprivation affecting the brain, but decided not to bring it up. _"A tragic accident, to be certain. Comparable to the fates of a number of other trainers. And since you started telling me this story without any form of lead-in, I do not understand why you have told it at all."_

Anton shook his head sadly. "That was the second most embarrassing moment of my life." His eyes narrowed in anger. "I was supposed to be championship material! How could I be so completely useless in such a simple situation?"

The psychic considered this for a moment. _"I suppose this is the consequence when the worth of a trainer is based on the achievements of his Pokémon."_

"Exactly! Do you know how long it took them to get me out of there?"

"_Your friend estimates it to have been approximately ninety minutes."_

"No. Without the traveling. As soon as they reached the cave, how long did it take them?" Anton clenched his fist. "Ten seconds!"

"_I would think that such a quick rescue would meet your approval."_

"They called on a Pokémon. One Rock Smash later, boom, freedom." The human's attitude didn't improve. "Ninety minutes, two hours, whatever, I tried to force my way out of there. They took **ten seconds**."

"_You did not elaborate on your belongings"_, Mewtwo said. _"Did they survive the explosion without harm?"_

Anton glared at him. "Yeah, yeah, they did. That's not important. The important thing is that I was _pathetic_!" He took a deep breath. "What's the point of having giant creatures show off how they can fire lasers at each other if I can't even clear a little bit of rubble without one?

"That's when I swore it would never happen again. It didn't matter how strong they were. _I_ needed to be strong. I needed to focus my efforts on _myself_."

He shrugged. "So I quit training."

Mewtwo stared at him incredulously. _"All biases aside, I believe that Pokémon have a certain tendency to possess superhuman strength and abilities. Even if it was logical to try to match them, it would still be impractical."_

"You're right, of course." Anton gestured toward Eli, who had apparently decided to take a nap during this conversation. "I'll never be able to fly. Or shoot water. I can swim, yeah, but I probably can't carry someone else at the same time." He smiled slightly. "That's no reason to give up on being stronger."

He took a few steps away from the others to where a fist-sized rock was lying in plain sight on the ground. He picked it up, turned to show it to the others, and then squeezed hard. A few seconds later, the rock had broken into pieces. "So I got stronger."

For a moment, Mewtwo could almost admire the human's tenacity. To make an effort to improve his lot in life rather than simply give in and accept that his capabilities were inferior to Pokémon everywhere…

Anton frowned again. "But still, in the middle of it all, I had to realize… I was letting my Pokémon down." He gestured toward the psychic. "I don't want you to think I'm selfish or anything, because I'm not."

He stopped suddenly. "Come inside. I want to show you something." He turned to Stappy. "Uh… wake up Eli and run laps for the moment. We'll be back soon."

* * *

The object that awaited Mewtwo's eyes was... some form of dusty plaque on the wall. He could only make out a few of the words: IN HONOR OF. Below it, a couple of thin metallic strips, one of which had been bent to the side roughly.

"They don't give this out to just any trainer, you know", Anton explained from behind him. "You don't even get it for having strong Pokémon. You get it because you care for your Pokémon, and they do great things, and everyone takes notice."

"_It is empty", _Mewtwo pointed out as he turned to face the human again.

…and saw exactly what he was talking about. Anton was gazing at the Master Ball in his hand with a frown on his face. "On some level, this thing completely misses its own point", he admitted. "To honor my ability to win the respect and trust of Pokémon, they gave me the option to skip that part entirely."

"_It is still far better in the hands of a trusted trainer than one who would use it for personal gain."_

"I don't know how to answer that. I mean, we wouldn't train if we couldn't gain something from it." He nodded. "I never ended up using it. I liked what it meant more than what it did." A sigh. "Until yesterday. And… I should've seen it coming. The Pokémon I caught doesn't respect or trust me."

Mewtwo crossed his arms. _"I have not left yet."_

"But I can tell. You aren't taking this seriously. Or me. Every other Pokémon I caught would be honored to join the Pokéathlon." He looked out the window. "Stappy and Eli are running. They never stopped to ask me why."

"_It is not entirely your fault. I have had questionable trainers. Half of them wanted me to do things no Pokémon should ever want to do. The other half… cared about what I thought, and I had the ability to tell them that."_ He shrugged. _"As a result, I have never acted out of loyalty."_

The human was still gazing out the window. "All the others that would… are already gone."

"_I can only assume that you released them. I hope."_

"It was after I first heard about the Pokéathlon." He smiled slightly. "You have to realize how much it sounded like a dream come true for me. Not just the legend and idea of humans and Pokémon working together, but… just look at the events. Running, jumping, hitting, pushing… these are things humans can do naturally. We'd be competing on an equal playing field. We'd prove we can be a match for them after all." He grumbled again. "I don't know why they'd structure it that way and not make it open to everyone."

"_I do not pretend to have an answer."_

"The day I tried to enter… was the most embarrassing day of my life. They _still_ laugh at me over at the dome." Despite his bitter tone, he seemed to be smirking slightly. "Unless they don't notice I'm there."

"Anyway, the Pokéathlon changed my focus entirely. I didn't just work on making myself stronger, but trained my Pokémon in the same way. Of course, this wouldn't work with many of them, the ones with the cool elemental moves and things like that. So… I made my decision. I'd figure out which ones wanted to stay and… I released and traded the rest."

"_Could you not ask for the traded ones back?"_

"I had some old friends that could use them. I haven't spoken to them much in the past few years. Besides, don't you think that'd be hard on the Pokémon? Telling them to choose between me and the guy they're supposed to be trusting now?

"So no. Besides, most of them aren't the type I'm looking for."

Mewtwo had noticed that earlier. He decided to point it out. _"Many of the Pokéathletes from yesterday were of varying body types. Everyone you train is relatively human in stature." And_, he realized as he finished, _that is yet another reason for him to prefer me over many others with similar power._

"Yeah. I have no idea how to weight-train a Furret. She's probably happier with her new family."

"_A Furret." _The psychic raised an eye inquisitively. _"I certainly would not have expected you to keep such a relatively weak Pokémon so long."_

"Yeah. Relatively weak." Anton was muttering again. "By the way, she's the one who Rock Smashed me out of there. In ten seconds."

Mewtwo winced.

* * *

"That's about all there is to my story", the human finished as he and Mewtwo left the house again. He was holding a glass of water; he needed it after the lengthy conversation.

The other pondered briefly. _"I do not see how much of it is meant to change my opinion."_

Anton threw his hands in the air suddenly. "Because you thought I was an idiot. There you go. Now you know why I was an idiot. Stupid enough to have only two Pokémon. Stupid enough to try to enter the Pokéathlon myself. Stupid enough to Master Ball you."

Mewtwo slowly bent down to look Anton in the eye. _"Knowing that you have done irrational things proves nothing to me." _He shook his head. _"Instead, consider learning from them."_

"Haven't I?" At that moment, Stappy and Eli came into view again from around the corner of the building. "In the end, all I ever needed to solve my problems was a third Pokémon. Here you are."

"_That, I remind you, is not a guarantee."_

"I know. You want to have a reason to stay. And I'll give you some. Trust me, this will all be worth it in the end." The other two Pokémon came to a stop next to him. "You'll be stronger, they'll be stronger, and you'll go down in history as the greatest Pokéathletes that ever were."

The psychic tilted his head. _"You still appear to be setting your standards particularly high."_

"I have to." Anton scowled. "That's the only way they'll stop treating us as a laughing stock. When they see how well we do, they'll _have_ to be impressed." He grinned. "And the only way we'll do that is if we keep training. Come on."

The three Pokémon followed him immediately. But among them, Mewtwo was once again lost in his own thoughts.

_Right now, do I have a reason to be here?_

_Sometimes I see something that grabs my attention and directly appeals to me. Sometimes I see a reason to think that this will amount to nothing more than a waste of my time._

_One thing I have learned over the years is that we can still enjoy things that are really nothing more than a waste of time, as long as there is something behind them that appeals to us._

…_if he truly wishes for me to stay… he needs to stop saying and doing so many things that make me __**not**__ want to be here._

_And he needs to stop thinking that they are the only things he can do to make me stay._


	5. Drop

**Event 5: Drop**

After finishing his glass of water, Anton tried to sound as respectable to his Pokémon as possible. "The next event we'll be discussing is the Ring Drop."

Mewtwo glanced at the reptiles on each side. Stappy's expression had become instantly enthusiastic. Eli looked more focused on his trainer, but displayed no negative body language.

"Mewtwo probably doesn't know this one, so the basic idea is… uh… one Pokémon from each team is in a ring with no walls, and they try to knock each other out of the ring. A team goes to the next teammate whenever one falls, or they can retreat to their corner and tag in the next one so they can rest." He looked at the Pokémon cautiously. "I hope I didn't forget anything."

The psychic noticed the human's eyes focusing on him again. Anton audibly swallowed. "I can't put off asking any longer. How much weight can you actually push?"

Mewtwo's hand moved to his opposite shoulder and held it. There was no longer any lingering pain, to his relief. _"I genuinely do not know."_

"In that case… once again… we'll just have to test it. Eli, you do it this time."

The Dragonite nodded and moved toward Mewtwo slowly, claws outstretched. (Just stay calm and we'll keep this simple), he growled in a tone that was probably meant to be relaxing, despite not coming across that way. (Just push back for now.)

As he came within range, the psychic nodded, raised his arms and prepared to press back. Eli lowered his arms slightly to make them easier to reach, and finally the two made contact.

He didn't slow. As he continued to trudge forward, Mewtwo found himself tilting backward, and he had to step back to brace himself further.

"_You have more body mass"_, Mewtwo said wearily. _"I cannot compare."_

(_He_ can), Eli replied, his head tilting back in the direction of Anton. (To a point. I will stand still. Try to move me.)

He tried. He changed his grip slightly and tried again. He even tried to lead with his shoulder, like before. But despite everything Mewtwo attempted, Eli remained in the same location.

"_This is becoming tiresome"_, Mewtwo complained quietly. _"Come at me again."_

The Dragonite looked into his eyes briefly and then indulged him. Once again he was making forward progress, causing the psychic to lose more ground.

That was his cue. Mewtwo quickly released one claw and seized the other arm with his free hand, ducked down and attempted to pull him past himself. This worked briefly, as Eli took another quick step forward…

…grabbed his arm more firmly with the held claw, reached out with his now free claw, gripped the back of Mewtwo's leg, and swept him to the ground. (It wasn't a bad idea), he admitted, (but it works better when your opponent isn't holding back and hasn't learned similar tricks.)

The psychic tried to struggle, but the dragon kept him pinned to the ground. In frustration, he was about to telekinetically lift him away when Anton's voice interrupted him.

"Yeah… I guess it's settled. Let him up." Eli moved, and Mewtwo no longer felt himself being restrained. "Before we try any more of this, you need to weight-train first."

* * *

"There's no need to worry", Anton told Mewtwo as they slowly headed toward a part of the field behind the building that contained a large number of covered devices. "I've kept everything we need. In fact", he added as he smiled, "it's nice to use it again after so long."

The psychic glanced back over his shoulder at the two other Pokémon, who were merely standing around watching their movements. _"I did not intend to draw your attention away from the other Pokémon."_

"I'll worry about that in a bit." The human pulled a light yet spacious covering away from one device to reveal what appeared to be a long, thin table of some sort, complete with a hole in the center and a short structure pointing upward at one end. "It's not too dusty. Okay, lie down. Head goes underneath it."

Mewtwo gave him a suspicious glance, and then lay down upon the flat surface as instructed, being careful not to force weight upon his neck. It wasn't particularly comfortable for him. From his position, he could see the structure on either side of his head. Oddly, he noticed quickly, the hole was placed in the proper place for him to thread his tail through it. Considering the trainer's other two students, it made sense.

Anton returned to his side with a long bar and a box. He placed the bar such that it balanced upon the structure and therefore directly above Mewtwo's head. Next, he opened the box to reveal a number of thick circular discs. With little hesitation, he started sliding them onto the pole using the holes placed in their centers.

"Okay", he said with a nod. "See if you can lift that."

Mewtwo's hands were not designed for strong gripping, so the first step was to figure out how to place them on the bar such that he could use his actual physical strength to push it upward. It was more difficult than expected, but eventually it made slow progress upward.

Suddenly the human gripped the bar and pushed it back down to its original spot. "Don't do that", he said in a worried tone. "If you have trouble there, it'll be worse once you start benching. Let's make it lighter first."

As he started removing a few discs, the psychic decided to ask. _"Benching?"_

"Yeah. The idea's to be able to hold it up above your chest, lower it until it almost touches, and then lift it up again. It doesn't work if you can't do it repeatedly. Try it now."

Mewtwo tried again. This time, the bar lifted easily. _"I should now move this to above my chest?"_

"Too light. Put it back down. I'd say… another twenty pounds, maybe."

"_I am losing patience."_

"That's too bad", Anton said sternly. "You can't rush something like this. The best thing's to choose the right weight that fits you."

Mewtwo nodded as he watched the trainer slide an additional disc on each side of the bar. _"I assume that the original weight was more suitable for my teammates."_

The human shifted his eyes to the side. "Actually, that was the weight _I_ used."

* * *

In Mewtwo's opinion, the actual process was repetitive. Once they had prepared everything to the human's satisfaction, all that was left for him was to raise and lower the bar slowly. Why? He wasn't sure.

It wasn't even as interesting or satisfying as winning a battle. And aside from the lack of physical injury that was often administered to each competitor, the fact that he couldn't even favorably compare it to that didn't inspire his confidence.

"_For how long must I endure this?"_

The human continued to watch over him. "Are you tired yet? Physically, I mean?"

"_I am not in pain."_

"That's a good thing." He nodded. "That would mean you were doing it wrong. Right now, you just keep lifting until you don't feel like you can lift much longer." He paused briefly to rethink his words. "A bit before that, I mean. You don't want to drop it."

"_You have not concealed your desire to help lift the bar in such an event."_ Mewtwo's motion began to slow. _"I believe I have reached that point."_

Without a word, Anton reached over, gripped the bar and lifted it back to its resting place. This completed, he spoke again. "Okay. The next thing is to let your arms rest. In the meantime, let's decide what else to work… what are you doing?"

Mewtwo opened his eyes. _"I intended to use Rest."_

"_No!_ Don't do that!" He shook his head angrily. "That just undoes everything we've just done!"

The psychic stared into his eyes. _"I am not going to accomplish anything else with tired arms."_

"But that's the point! They're supposed to recover slowly and naturally! That's what makes them become stronger!" He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you're in any shape to compete in power events yet, so what else were you going to do with them?"

"_You genuinely intend for me to remain in discomfort? Not even battlers endure such nonsense when they can avoid it."_

"This isn't battle experience." Anton tried to sound wise again. "This is meant to push the limits of your strength beyond that of what comes naturally with your history." He glanced down. "I think we should check your legs for now. They might be stronger… but I'm more interested in how you use them."

Mewtwo closed his eyes briefly. _"I suppose that levitation is also not permitted."_

"It's a bit of a weird rule. You run and leap with your own power, but once you're in the air… uh, if you can glide, you can. I mean, naturally. You know, like Eli's wings. But he can't flap them and it's pointless to use the wind to gain altitude, so…"

"_I can think of a large number of Pokémon that do not possess legs at all. Are they excluded?"_

The human looked blank for a moment. "I… really don't know. Those guys are permitted to fly at low altitudes as long as… I have no idea." He sighed. "The point is, you have legs and I'm pretty sure they want you to use them."

Mewtwo wanted to complain about this, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He had known exactly what would be expected of him as soon as he had learned that there were races involved. The real question was how well he could actually move.

He started at a slow walk in the opposite direction from the human. As it began to feel more natural to him, he increased his pace. As he reached a fair distance and turned around, he added the most important step: hopping from one foot to the other.

This was difficult for him. He had a small amount of experience at walking, but he had literally only run on one prior occasion in his life, and it was a time when he had been relatively weak and emotionally compromised. His form wasn't any more stable this time, either. The soles of his feet began to ache from striking the ground, and he had to struggle to keep from losing his balance. Eventually he came to a stop just shy of Anton's position.

"That… wasn't good", the human said slowly and with some apprehension. "I think it's safe to say you don't run a lot."

At this point, Mewtwo was finding himself unable to muster any kind of response. It was obvious to everyone, and he was no exception. He wasn't a runner. Maybe after some time practicing, he might become good enough at it to travel around, but he wouldn't be beating many other Pokémon to their destination.

Especially not anyone who had actually trained for a footrace.

Even more especially not beating _all of them…_

"Don't worry about it yet", Anton said as cheerfully as he could, though Mewtwo could easily identify the disappointment he was trying to mask. "You'll get better with time. I know you will. For now… uh… we just need to find something that you're good at. What else is there?"

The psychic scowled immediately.

"Don't take it the wrong way. I mean… once we find it, we can start training it together. That way, you know, we can help you excel at it at the same time as you build the fundamentals at the other stuff. It'll be easier for you to train that way, plus it'll be a big help in making you and them a proper team. Make sense?"

At those words, Mewtwo glanced over to the side. Stappy and Eli had been watching his movements the whole time, and two things immediately became apparent to him. First, they hadn't been impressed by his performance either. Second, in Anton's eagerness to help him, they had been largely neglected…

Slowly, he shook his head. _"It is not necessary."_

"Are you sure?" the human asked. "I just thought it'd help…"

"_No. I am saying that this effort is not necessary. I am leaving."_

Anton's eyes widened. "What? We just started! You shouldn't quit so easily!"

"_I can quit whenever I choose. Did I not make that clear?" _He lowered his head slightly. _"More importantly, I cannot think of a reason to stay."_

The human rolled his eyes and muttered. "After seeing you today, I'd think there's a great deal of reason…"

"_When you first met me, you referred to me as the most powerful Pokémon in the world. What became of that belief?"_

"I'm not saying you aren't", he insisted. "But there's clearly a lot of room for improvement."

"_That is only true by __**your**__ standards."_ Mewtwo collected his thoughts briefly. _"I can travel swiftly with great agility, with or without teleportation. I can lift and push multiple tons of weight on a whim. I can render any opponent unable to battle with a mere thought from a great distance… and even without such tricks at my disposal, I believe I can be more than a match for your allies using nothing but physical strikes._

"_I understand that your Pokéathlon does not work in that manner. You have different goals in mind. You wish for me to be more capable physically, without psychic power and without use of my moves. To demand or even suggest such of me is… unusual. And not necessarily in a bad way, I will admit._

"_But it is nothing short of an insult to measure my worth using a method that ignores all of my genuine strengths... and then judge me to be your __**inferior.**__"_

"That wasn't what I meant at **all!**"

At those words, Mewtwo took a short break from his rant to gaze into the human's eyes. His anger subsided slightly. _"It may not be your intent. It is even likely that you are making a valid point about my capabilities." _He shook his head. _"But I would prefer to address this on my own terms. I need not behave like a loyal trained Pokémon to become a better runner."_

His voice became bitter again. _"And when I do make an effort, my goal will be to become better than what I was. __**Not**__ to become better than what everyone else is. To suggest that I should become faster than the best-trained Rapidash is simply ludicrous."_ He paused and nodded. _"Not impossible, but not reasonable._

"_Which brings me to __**you.**__"_

As Anton's expression became worrisome, he continued. _"Your philosophy about stretching our limitations is admittedly noble. But your methods are flawed. Your desire to improve is marred by your intent to overshadow everyone else. You intend to become an expert at each of the events, but your history with the Pokéathlon suggests that you have never once competed in them." _He shook his head in disgust. _"Was it not unreasonable for you to at least learn whether or not humans could compete before you devoted yourself to the possibility?"_

"It… was a simple mistake. I won't make it again, believe me."

"_You did not even bother to check whether or not I was permitted to hover before instructing me not to." _He took a deep breath. _"As a trainer, you should know better than this. And saddest of all… you probably did at one point."_

The human reacted in sudden surprise as he felt motion from the side of his waist. A few seconds later, the Master Ball detached from his belt and floated in front of Mewtwo's face. _"They don't give this out to just any trainer"_, he quoted briefly. _"The human who accomplishes enough and earns enough respect to have such a device bestowed upon him must truly live up to the name of a Pokémon trainer. Strategy, wisdom, the ability to earn the loyalty of others… these are separate things from one's physical attributes, but they are still signs of a genuinely worthy human._

"_I would not have minded meeting him." _And without any warning, the Master Ball plummeted to the ground, seemingly broken beyond the possibility of repair. In fact, one with a keen eye could see that it was sufficiently broken _before_ the impact.

Anton dashed forward to where the broken device landed and looked over it briefly. His eyes angrily turned upward toward Mewtwo, who was now hovering several feet from the ground. "That was my only…"

"_This is your punishment for capturing me"_, the psychic continued. _"Accept that it could have been considerably worse. This is also my challenge to you."_ He smiled slightly. _"If you wish for you and your team to become Pokéathlon champions, earn it. Find a new third teammate. Make him or her believe in what you are doing, and make your team worthy. Does this not fit your methods or desires? __**Change them**__. Be willing to be patient. Consider that you will not be the best when you first compete. If this requires more money than you have, there are ways to get it. You are not…"_

"It's not supposed to end this way!"

His lecture ended immediately. Anton's expression had become even angrier, and his mind wasn't even trying to disguise the amount of spite he was feeling at that moment. "If a Master Ball won't work, what else can? And you just…"

"_No. No more shortcuts."_

"But… it was the only way left. I didn't want to… and I wanted it to work… _why couldn't you have been what I was looking for?_"

Mewtwo shook his head impatiently. _"You are not the one who has a right to be angry. I have attempted to be more than civil."_

"I wouldn't have even used the thing on you if you hadn't tried to kill Stappy!" The human's face was now red with anger. "Don't think I can just forget about that!"

A beat.

The psychic's expression lit up. _"If that is your desire."_ His eyes began to glow a fierce blue. _"Thank you for reminding me."_


	6. Block

**Event 6: Block**

Shortly after sunrise the next morning, within the Pokéathlon Dome, several Pokémon were in a frenzy attempting to collect small flags.

Mewtwo watched silently from the stands, unnoticed by everyone around him. He had figured out most of the rules already. One member of a team at a time, full contact was permitted and even rewarded, and no more than nine flags at a time. He still wasn't sure exactly what determined when and where the flags would appear, let alone how they did so. Perhaps it was randomized. Perhaps not. Regardless of the details, the Pokémon and the trainers making suggestions from the goal line seemed to be having fun.

He sighed.

Something inside of him still wanted to believe that these events were worth his time and attention. Perhaps they weren't of the utmost importance, but they were still brief and frenetic enough to be entertaining, involved and organized enough to be meaningful, and then there were the inspiring aspects.

Anton wasn't wrong about that, at least. What wasn't true about the idea that one of the greatest qualities of Pokémon was their ability to improve drastically? And what was wrong with believing that a human could do the same thing?

It was even true for Mewtwo. As unbelievable as it would sound to most people, it was possible to behold a being of even his stature and say "You could be a lot better". And mean it.

Not counting any members of Team Rocket, Anton was the second one to do that. The first had been Darkrai. The two had a surprisingly large amount in common, Mewtwo considered. Both were highly competitive, judgmental, and viewed him from a perspective that ignored his psychic abilities completely.

Both also seemed to believe that there was nothing wrong with the idea of training a legendary Pokémon. Darkrai had said that from the perspective of the one who stood to gain the most from such an arrangement. Anton, on the other hand, seemed to have the least to lose.

And took his obsession with the Pokéathlon entirely too far, Mewtwo thought bitterly. Once he had learned everything that he thought might have been useful from the human, and discovered that his words of wisdom were going in one ear and out the other, he could safely write him off as not being worth his time any longer. Was he a lost cause? Perhaps not, but any method of redeeming himself that he could think of would involve being a completely different trainer.

Anyway, Mewtwo had ensured that Anton wouldn't be remembering his time with him. But even that wasn't enough. After all, the human had managed to find out about him and track him down pretty easily before, so he had undertaken far more drastic measures. If the mental modifications were successful, he wouldn't even be able to _think_ about Mewtwo or his power without his brain discarding it immediately.

It was admittedly more extreme than usual for him. Ever since he had given up being homicidal, at least. But he had given the human sufficient warning to not antagonize him.

**I refuse to avoid interacting with the inferior**, Darkrai had once said to him. **That group happens to consist of **_**the rest of the world**_**.** He often tried to take that advice to heart, but he could only be pushed so far.

The awards ceremony was starting. Mewtwo stopped thinking about the past and began to wonder about the immediate future.

Would he do anything about the Pokéathlon? He kept his eyes on the four competitors. While none had made a bad impression on him, he simply could not imagine himself joining any of them.

What kind of trainer would he want? Someone with a large amount of experience who trained teammates of at least comparable ability to his own, with the insight to identify his flaws without judging him by them, yet being casual enough that he would want to continue taking part simply because he enjoyed it.

Who matched that? "Someone like Anton if he was more intelligent and less demanding" came to mind, but no one else did. For now, it seemed he would remain a spectator.

In that case, would he work on improving those physical deficiencies that had been so bluntly pointed out to him? Perhaps, he thought. If nothing else, he would like to be able to perform something resembling a competent jog. But it wouldn't happen at this moment, and certainly not here.

It was settled. He left the Pokéathlon Dome, but stopped briefly to obtain one of the "aprijuice" things one of the humans outside was peddling, making sure to properly compensate her for the cost with several coins from his remotely-hidden stash. Would it truly improve his speed? He didn't know for certain, but the woman's mind showed no intent of deceiving her customers. The drink itself was bitter and easy to enjoy, so it was by no means a waste of money.

That task completed, he thanked the woman and vanished from Johto.

* * *

The cave in Cerulean looked the same as it always did. It seemed that nobody had set foot in it for the past several days. A minor convenience at best; it was better for the trainers, who would hate to have to retrace their steps after finding nothing more than an empty room at the end.

With no remaining concerns on his mind, Mewtwo levitated and went into a meditative state of repose.

Several minutes passed.

Several more minutes passed.

The minutes continued to accumulate.

Mewtwo opened his eyes again.

He was bored.

Maybe it was because he had allowed himself to get his hopes up and received no significant payoff. Maybe it was because he actually enjoyed some of the luxuries that humans provided for their Pokémon. Or perhaps he simply wanted to do something Pokéathlon-related before allowing himself to move on.

In situations such as these, the first step was to find out what everyone was doing.

Once again, he went into a meditative state, but this time allowed his consciousness to spread forth from the cave. Normally, it would continue to expand for a lengthy period of time, usually covering the entire region. After all, when he wanted to find out what everyone was doing, he meant _everyone_. Then he would focus on some of the ones that stood out from the rest, and form a plan from there.

This time, it didn't. He stopped less than five seconds after he started.

Anton was back in Cerulean. _Already._

* * *

The Cerulean Gym was widely known among the population of Kanto as many things. A league-sponsored competitive battleground. A public aquarium. A water show. Few of these things appealed to Mewtwo, so he usually paid it no more mind than considering it the part of town that trainers liked to frequent. In fact, he scarcely even kept track of which women were or weren't the gym leader at any given time.

After stepping off Eli's back and returning him to his Pokéball, Anton had headed there directly. Perhaps his presence here was a complete coincidence, the psychic pondered.

Still, it paid to be safe. Mewtwo moved into the corner of the entrance lobby and mentally made himself unnoticeable. The human was busy talking to one of the receptionists.

"The thing is", he said, "I don't know much about the true story at all, aside from a few legends. And I figured since you're the biggest experts on aquatic Pokémon in the area, maybe you could help point me in the right direction?"

"I'm sorry, sir. We're not a museum." The woman seemed to be impatient. "We only concern ourselves with the water Pokémon that we regularly observe and can train."

Anton grumbled softly. "In that case, where do I find a museum?"

Mewtwo was starting to get a headache. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps he had gotten _really_ tired of hearing his voice.

"Sir", the receptionist said patiently, "I doubt you'll find anything of value in Pewter. If you're truly interested in studying this legend, though, might I consider looking in Sinnoh itself?" As the trainer's eyes lit up, she turned to the side and activated a video phone. "If you like, I can arrange for you to do some studying in Pastoria there. That is, if you don't mind the trip and the expenses."

Anton sighed. "I'm on a bit of a budget, but if that's what it takes…"

What were they talking about? Mewtwo had apparently missed the most important part. He tried reading their minds, but all he got out of it was a single name.

Manaphy?

Curiosity overtook him. Perhaps it was time to do some research himself.

With a brief flash, he was gone.

Anton lowered his voice to a whisper. "Was it just me, or was someone over there listening in on us?"

"We're the only ones in the room", the woman replied sincerely.

* * *

By virtue of teleportation, Mewtwo's trip to Pastoria City was considerably quicker and less expensive than anything the humans were planning to use.

Sinnoh. He hadn't spent very much time here in his life to date. He had always meant to come, if only to settle a few disagreements with someone from the area. But aside from a different ecosystem of wildlife, there really wasn't anything else particularly compelling about making the trip.

But he was here on business, and the first step to doing that was to come up with a believable excuse for his presence.

This was largely automatic for him. He walked into the nearest gym and announced his presence. _"I seek information about a Manaphy."_

"That was quick", a man said suspiciously as he walked up to the psychic. "If you're that researcher from Johto…"

"_I am merely Anton's overseas assistant. I was hoping to learn a few minor details before he makes the trip."_ He paused briefly, trying to think of justification. _"Something for him to mull over along the way."_

"I'm sorry, sir, but we really don't have much to tell you aside from the legends. We could recommend a visit to the Pokémon mansion if you want to hear more about them. Of course, we also have our boat rentals in case he actually wishes to investigate the bottom of the sea."

"_Do you believe he could find something?"_

"We won't get our hopes up, but he seems like the type who'd never let that stop him. Who knows? If he succeeds, it'll be a pretty impressive discovery, don't you think?"

Mewtwo was still missing a few key details, but didn't want to make that obvious. _"What do you suppose you would do with such knowledge?"_

"Knowledge? I'd be happy just to see the so-called prince of the sea, myself! Certainly, we've spotted the rare Phione or two, but if there truly is a Manaphy out there, it would be a sight to behold!"

"_Do you have any idea what it looks like?"_

The man scratched his head. "Not really. If it's anything like a Phione… short, light blue, long thin arms and no legs, long appendage on the top of the head, cute expression…"

That sounded absolutely _nothing_ like anything Mewtwo expected Anton to desire to see, capture or train. _"I assume you will be joining Anton on his expedition, then?"_

"Absolutely not!"

This took the psychic back slightly. _"You do not expect him to succeed."_

"That's not it at all! Don't you realize how dangerous it is for two people to go looking for it? Surely you've heard about the Heart Swap!"

"_I fear I know less about it than my colleague."_

"Let's just say, if the legends are true, and we both see the Manaphy at the same time, we could be stuck in each other's body forever!"

Mewtwo blinked. That part of the story was completely new to him. As was the whole premise behind the legend. Being able to switch the minds of two humans…

…or two Pokémon…

…maybe even _a human and a Pokémon…_

…_he couldn't seriously be thinking of…_

…_the possibility couldn't be discounted…_

…_knowing him, he actually __**would**__ try such a stunt…_

Mewtwo vanished immediately, not even making an excuse or explanation for his departure.

At some point, someone with the psychic strength Mewtwo possessed would have to come to the decision that the thoughts and actions of other people simply do not concern him, unless he was directly involved. In short, live and let live.

And then there were other actions that were downright…

If nothing else, this probably would not have happened if he hadn't met the trainer. And he intended to clean up any messes he had left behind.

* * *

By the time he reappeared in Kanto, Anton had already made his way to Vermillion City. No doubt to board a ship from the port there, Mewtwo considered.

It was easy to spot the trainer. He was moving quickly, keeping his eyes affixed on the various vessels. Probably trying to figure out which one was his.

He hadn't even packed for the trip. All he had with him was his usual backpack and whatever he kept inside it. Also a pair of Pokéballs. Mewtwo had yet to figure out why Anton was so open to the idea of letting his Pokémon wander free at home and yet would never let them do so in public. Perhaps there had been some earlier problems?

…why was he worried about such things? He was here for one reason: to stop this insane plan from proceeding any further.

"_What do you think you are doing?"_

Anton slowed slightly and began looking for the source of the voice. He didn't have to look long. The psychic descended majestically from above to block his route, levitating a foot from the ground, arms crossed and eyes glaring at the human.

He was taken aback. "…you can talk… what are you?"

Mewtwo sighed to himself. That's right. His memory of him had been erased. _"It doesn't matter. Do not get on that boat."_

Anton crossed his own arms. "I think it _does_ matter if you want me to listen to you."

"_Fair enough. You do not remember me, but my name is Mewtwo. We first…"_

The human suddenly dropped to the dock, holding his head and yelling out in pain. Other passing humans took sudden notice. One man even took a few steps to Anton's side. "Are you okay, sir?"

Eventually the trainer recovered slowly and returned to his feet. "Uh… thank you. It's just…" He gestured at Mewtwo again. "He must've done something to me…"

The man turned his head to look. "Who? I don't see anyone."

"What do you mean, who? That Pokémon right there! I don't even know what he is, but…"

Three things suddenly occurred to Mewtwo.

First, he had done more than just erase his memory. He had also ensured that he would never learn who he was again. In the current circumstances, that was more counterproductive than he liked.

Second, his headache from earlier was coming back.

Third, he had attempted to make himself inconspicuous again as soon as Anton first reacted in pain, practically as a reflex. And for some reason, this had done _nothing_ to conceal him from the trainer.

"Sir, I think you need to take a lie down. There are no Pokémon anywhere near us. At least, not a loose one."

Anton's voice had become a yell. "Can't you see him? He's right there, and he _talked to me!"_

At this point, the man was slowly backing away from him. Other pedestrians were giving him plenty of space. Mewtwo understood why.

"_Do you want this to continue? Simply turn around and leave, and this will be over."_

"No." The trainer continued to have no concept of restraint. "I'm not giving up. If this is my last hope, I will see it…"

"_You are not going to find Manaphy."_

He stopped suddenly. "How the hell did you know about that? Did you…" His voice became a shout. "You were the one spying on me earlier, weren't you?"

"_Perhaps I was. But that changes nothing. This is not the solution to your problem. If you want to enter the Pokéathlon, you…"_

"**How long have you been spying on me, anyway?"**

This was getting more and more absurd. People were actively changing direction to stay away from this apparently crazy trainer's ranting. At least one had headed in the direction of the nearest hospital.

"_You leave me little choice."_ His eyes began to glow. _"You will forget about this entire…"_

A large amount of psychic feedback struck him directly in the head. He fell to one knee and pressed his hands against his temples tightly. At the same time, he noticed that Anton was feeling the exact same pain.

As he slowly began to recover, he began to realize just how much this argument was hurting Anton. Had he done something wrong earlier? Had he somehow screwed up the memory edit? Perhaps his mind was already broken in some way?

A brief moment of consideration later, he made himself fully visible to the trainer. At once, his weak headache stopped. Apparently, he realized, that had been nothing more than minor feedback from his futile attempt… to not be seen by him…

Anton, despite what appeared to be lingering aching, wasn't done yet. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"_Keep your voice down." _Mewtwo didn't want this to get any more out of control than it already was. _"They cannot see me and I do not have to spy on you. Do you understand? I am a psychic."_

Anton briefly paused in understanding. Then, without any further hesitation, he once again grasped his head and fell in writhing pain. Mewtwo could only stare at him, puzzled.

…he'd blocked him from remembering he was a psychic, too, hadn't he?

This time, no one dared come to his aid. This left him standing up again about thirty seconds later. "You know what? If you're going to keep doing that to me, then clearly you don't want me to take this trip, don't you?" He smiled maliciously. "So I think I'd better take it, huh?" He immediately broke into a dash in the direction of the vessel heading to Sinnoh.

The psychic wasn't ready to give up yet. With a quick teleport, he was in front of the human again. _"You do not want to go there."_

The human tried to get around him. "Why should I listen to you? You won't even tell me who you are!"

At this point, Mewtwo was running low on options. He reconsidered the situation carefully yet quickly.

He needed to stop Anton from continuing his crazy plan to discover and use Manaphy.  
Thanks to his memory edit, he was incapable of learning Mewtwo's identity or even learning that he was a psychic.  
Thanks to something going wrong with the edit, which he still hadn't been able to determine, he couldn't seem to affect his mind in any manner, whether hiding his presence or making any further edits.  
And he had clearly seen him, and seen him floating, and heard him speak to him… while no one else in the vicinity could.

He needed an explanation quickly, or else this situation would continue to escalate to particularly bizarre levels. Everyone probably already thought Anton was crazy…

…

He couldn't think of anything else but that approach. So he decided to go along with it.

"_Do you not recognize me? At all?"_

The trainer threw his hands up angrily. "Don't you think I would have said something if I did?"

"_Remember the cave west of Cianwood? You were trapped there for well over an hour, attempting to dig your way out?"_

"Why do you know that? How could you know that? It wasn't on the news, was it? Okay, I might have been famous then."

"_I was there. You needed me there. And I have traveled your life with you ever since."_

"You're making no sense! The only ones who were there were me and Stappy! And I'm pretty sure you're not Stappy!"

Mewtwo smiled. _"Of course not. I am __**you.**__"_

"…that… is completely stupid. What are you talking about?"

"_The Furret saved you with a single Rock Smash. You were safe. But that was not nearly enough for you, was it?" _His eyes became serious. _"You became jealous. Not just of her, but of all Pokémon. You knew that even though you were a trainer, you were truly inferior to all of them. And you would not settle for that. You stopped training them. You trained yourself. You tried to push your limits until you could proudly call yourself their equal._

_"And the result… is me. I am you. I am your Pokémon side."_

More than twenty seconds passed. Anton stared at the psychic blankly, trying to wrap his head around what he had just said. Finally he spoke. "No… that can't be true."

"_Do not pretend otherwise. You have spent the past several years wanting nothing more than to be a Pokémon."_

"**No!** That's just a bunch of gossip!"

"_Then what am I? You cannot deny me… because **you want to **_**_be_**_** me**."_

"Shut up! **Shut up!**" Anton immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction, a wide gap spreading in front of him by all of the other people who had listened to his side of the conversation.

Mewtwo smiled. Their memories could easily be altered. Far more easily than Anton's, anyway. He saw absolutely no reason for him to end up in a hospital or asylum.

The important thing was that he was moving away from the boat. Away from Sinnoh. Away from Manaphy.

The next step was to ensure that he wouldn't turn around and come back.


	7. Push

**Event 7: Push**

Anton quickly ducked into an alley that ran between several Vermillion buildings and paused briefly to catch his breath.

Mewtwo watched him carefully. The human had indeed been training himself athletically. Even in his current mental state, once he got up to speed, the psychic couldn't picture most humans or at least a good half of known Pokémon keeping up with him. Certainly not himself, if he had to follow him on foot.

He didn't have to.

He leaned against the wall next to Anton in a manner that he assumed was properly casual. _"You cannot run from me."_

The human looked over at him in surprise, panicked, and was immediately back on his feet. "Leave me alone!" he shouted, turning and heading in the opposite direction.

Thanks to an accurate prediction and a well-timed teleport, Mewtwo was already in front of him. _"How can I? I am __**you**__."_

Anton shook his head. "You're not… even if you were, how? Why? I've never seen you before, so why now?"

Mewtwo hesitated briefly. If he was going to keep this up, he would need to come up with some solid-sounding explanations quickly. _"You want to destroy me. This is my defense."_

"Destroy you?"

"_If you go to Sinnoh, if you truly discover this Manaphy and do what you're planning, you will no longer be human. There will no longer be a need for me."_ He looked down slightly. _"You would have never abandoned me before."_

Anton sighed. "I _don't_ want to do this. Don't you understand that? I'm _not_ what you or anyone else thinks I am. I don't even know why you are. But if nothing else will work..."

"_I would hardly think this type of plan can be reached as any form of logical conclusion."_

After a moment, the human suddenly smiled. "So that's what's going on." He nodded knowingly. "You're my self-doubt, aren't you?"

"_What?"_

"I know this plan makes no sense, and I'm trying to convince myself to abandon it." He glared at Mewtwo sharply. "But it _will_ work, no matter what anyone else says.

"Manaphy _must_ exist. The legends are too consistent. I have never once heard a story of a mythical Pokémon that turned out to be completely untrue. And if he exists, and I put enough effort into finding him, _I will_.

"You can just go back in my head and shut up now. It doesn't matter if everyone else thinks I'm crazy. I _know_ I'm right and nothing good will come from listening to you!"

Mewtwo shook his head angrily. _"I am not attempting to stop you because your plan is invalid or even impossible. It might not be. Your plan is merely __**stupid**__."_

Anton turned away from him and laughed slightly. "Of course it is. That's never stopped it from working before."

"_You would…"_

"Just stop talking." He began to move back toward the main street again. "You're not even real. Act like it."

* * *

That backfired badly, Mewtwo considered as he pursued Anton back to the dock. It also raised far more questions than it answered. Why he was so insistent on following a plan that he knew had so little merit. Why his initial panic vanished so quickly. And whether or not he truly _was_ insane.

This required more drastic measures.

The psychic once again appeared in front of him, levitating slightly, with both arms held out horizontally to block his progress.

Anton stopped momentarily at the sight of him, but only momentarily. "You're not real", he muttered softly, if slightly unsurely. "I'm not crazy." As if to prove it to himself, he immediately headed directly in Mewtwo's direction and walked briskly into him.

He recoiled in surprise, placing his hand against his head where it had collided directly with the supposed illusion's torso. "What… I _felt_ that!"

Mewtwo retained his confident posture, despite his desire to rub his hand over the point of contact. _"I am real to you."_

"That doesn't even make sense!" He closed his mouth immediately, most likely from realizing that he was shouting at his hallucinations again. Instead, he changed his direction slightly to walk around it, faster this time.

The "illusion" quickly moved to intercept and attempted to push him away. It wasn't working very well for him. His adversary seemed to have more experience in such struggles. Still, he only lost distance slowly.

Anton's eyes lit up suddenly with an idea. "You're real to me? Okay." And with a sudden motion, he grabbed Mewtwo with both hands, swung his legs out from beneath him with an arm and lifted him over his shoulders.

Mewtwo didn't resist. He was paralyzed in shock at what the human had just done. On several levels. He had defied what was supposed to be his inner conscience. He had ignored his demands. He had overpowered him. He had lifted him as easily as a small Furret.

He had laid his hands upon him. Without his permission.

Before he could recover and resort to his immediate psychic impulses, he suddenly found himself being released forcefully in the direction of… no, he had been thrown _past_ the side of the dock, such that he was now heading directly toward the water and would find himself completely drenched very shortly.

He would not let that happen.

Having disposed of the oddly solid imaginary blockade, Anton once again turned and headed in the direction of the boat. One step later, he stopped in time to prevent colliding with the psychic again.

Despite his increased anger, Mewtwo did his best to remain in character. _"Do __**not**__ defy yourself. You will __**not**__ proceed."_

The human didn't counter-argue this at all. Instead, he merely dashed at the psychic's side and knocked him off balance as he continued toward the still-waiting boat. He did the same thing as the image took up a new position in his path, refusing to allow the creature to hinder his progress any longer.

By the third time, Mewtwo's body was starting to feel sore. He wasn't going to be able to win a direct physical confrontation. Was he going to need to use psychic means again?

It would stop him. Given his earlier attempts, it would also harm him. Perhaps. He wasn't sure what forms of psychic power would trigger his agonized mental reaction. Mental suggestion was out of the question, though perhaps a small amount of telekinesis would be fine…

No. He had another idea.

He immediately teleported a couple of feet in front of the runner while crouching on his hands and knees.

Less than a second later, Anton tripped over his body and fell to the dock, barely catching himself with his hands. As he tried his hardest to not shout out loud at the pain, Mewtwo quickly moved toward his legs and gripped them with his body, ensuring that he would not be able to stand up. It might have looked desperate to everyone passing by, if not for their current inability to notice.

The human still hadn't given up. He tried to kick the psychic off and make forward progress. "You're… only making me want… to get rid of you more", he said through gritted teeth.

"_Why do you persist?" _Mewtwo responded in a mental voice that didn't need to reflect the current physical struggle. _"Will you truly benefit from this?"_

"I don't need to." He pulled himself further. "They need a partner."

"_They will lose a trainer."_

"They're… past the need for that. We can find a new person. Someone who can sign us up."

Mewtwo refused to sound confused. _"Who would possibly want to do that?"_

"Have you _seen_ them?" Anton's voice became slightly proud. "Who _wouldn't_ want to call them his own?"

"_What about you? Would he want you? Did you even bring another Pokémon?"_

"Don't… need one." Mewtwo was starting to lose his grip. "There's gotta be something in Sinnoh. Something good."

"_In that case, perhaps you could simply catch and train that Pokémon."_

The human stopped briefly. "It won't work. It won't listen. I'm better off just using its body."

"_I suppose you intend to find one that would be happier..."_

"…it won't work", Anton repeated softly. "Not even this way. Unless I… no…" In the middle of his mumbling, he had stopped struggling entirely.

Mewtwo wondered if this was a trick. A cursory check on his mind revealed nothing of the sort. _"Listen to me"_, he resumed calmly. _"Listen to yourself. You do not want to do this, nor will it benefit you in the way you desire."_

"…let go of me."

He did. A moment later, Anton stood again, regaining his sense of direction. This time, other people had given him a small amount of space, but didn't seem to have noticed his argument at all. A few still seemed to be worried about the fact that he had fallen.

"Uh… sorry", he offered quickly. "I'm not hurt. Don't worry." After dusting himself off slightly, he resumed his motion in the direction of the boat.

Mewtwo suddenly considered something. In a friendlier voice, he started again. _"Perhaps you __**should**__ head to Sinnoh. Not for Manaphy. For a third Pokémon. You could discover someone that is more to your lik…"_

"Take this", Anton said to the uniformed man standing next to the boat's gangway as he handed him a ticket. "The next person who wants to get on… let them on. I can't go." He sighed. "Sorry for the trouble."

"_Are you even listening to me? I did not intend to stop your…"_

He was interrupted yet again by the sound of an opening Pokéball. A second later, Eli was towering over Anton.

The human raised his hand high enough to touch his Dragonite's neck and looked him in the eyes. "It didn't work out. I'm sorry." He hung his head. "I failed you. Again. Let's go home."

Mewtwo looked at the pair with a confused expression. _"What are you doing? I have __**never**__ known you to give up so easily. If you look at this with a calm…"_

Eli took off with his trainer on his back, leaving the psychic standing alone on the dock.

* * *

Rather than pursue the pair in midair, Mewtwo opted to teleport to their inevitable destination. It was safer for his persona that way; at this point, he was certain that Anton would either see through any actual illusion he could present or react to it in severe pain.

The building seemed to be the same as before. Completely unoccupied, of course. He wondered if there were any security measures to ensure that no one trespassed in the trainer's absence.

…why was he still here? He had completely stopped the human from engaging in his insane plan. Wasn't he free of his self-imposed liability?

No. Not until he was sure that this wouldn't be followed by an even more insane attempt. At this point, he probably wouldn't consider the task complete until Anton had found a workable solution to the current situation. At least, he hoped he could be convinced to see it through to the end. For some reason, the human seemed dead set against using the one that _made sense._

He had to be missing something. At this point, his best idea was to continue the ruse and get some more information out of Anton. And to do that, he needed a believable excuse first.

He could hear the flapping wings now. Quickly, he moved to a less visible area on the other side of the building and monitored the arriving group using purely his telepathic senses. Less than a minute later, Eli came to a perfect landing, and Anton leapt off his back shortly afterward.

The human's next move was to call out Stappy. Once he had the two's full attention, he took a deep breath.

Seconds later, he exhaled it. After a short pause, he glanced between the two and took another breath.

"I… really don't want to say this, but… I'm out of ideas."

The Feraligatr growled something soft and incomprehensible. Anton noticed and shook his head. "Please don't ask me that. Not right now. I… I'm tired. Let me rest. Maybe I'll think of something, okay?"

The Dragonite chimed in with another incomprehensible growl. Actually, to Mewtwo's senses, it sounded very similar to Stappy's earlier sound.

"For now… uh…" The human scratched the back of his head. "Do… something. I don't know. Just… leave me alone for now." He walked past them and opened the door to the building with a small amount of effort.

Mewtwo moved now, slipping unnoticed past the two Pokémon. Eli seemed to be looking around the various visible objects that continued to litter the area, while Stappy's gaze had lowered to the ground.

Once inside the building, the psychic tried to refamiliarize himself with the layout of the interior. If Anton intended to rest, his room would be…

"…what… the… **why are you still here?**"

He had been spotted. Anton hadn't moved far, and he had a perfectly good view of the front door. Rather than visibly react, Mewtwo immediately went into his prepared spiel. _"I am still at risk."_

Anton turned away angrily and headed directly for his room. "What will it take for you to leave me alone?" he called behind himself.

He followed the human nonchalantly. _"Your mind is filled with doubt. It is on the verge of surrender. If you give up on yourself now, I will never find peace."_

The human lay down upon his bed, not even bothering with undressing or dealing with any of the linens that covered it. His voice had become suspicious again. "If I were you… and you keep saying I am… don't you think it's a bit late to be showing up and worrying about stuff like that?"

"_It was not my conscious decision to manifest."_

He rolled his eyes. "That's for sure. If it was, you might as well have not bothered." He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. "I gave up on myself a long time ago."


	8. Role

**Event 8: Role**

Once again, Mewtwo awoke to the smell of a meal being cooked.

As before, he had to take a moment to reorient himself. But this time, he also had difficulty recalling at what point he had fallen asleep. It must have been after Anton had done so. He knew he had gone for a day and a half without more than a few minutes of rest, so it wasn't unthinkable.

Actually, judging by all immediate evidence, it was still evening. While he was feeling fully rested now, a human would probably call his actions something closer to a nap. It wasn't an inaccurate comparison. He hadn't left his standing position and hadn't allowed his mind to wander during the short duration, after all.

Anton, on the other hand, was still asleep.

Mewtwo's first instinct was to see how deeply he could probe the human's mind before it triggered a response. He decided against it, if only because he was worried what would happen if he was subjected to a physically painful form of mental anguish while he was asleep. For all he knew, the human would never be able to wake up again.

His second thought was that something about the situation didn't add up.

Before he could start finding out the answer to the question, the answer promptly presented itself. Stappy's maw once again poked into the room with a growl that was simultaneously calm and loud. The type of growl that was intended to wake his trainer.

Anton responded appropriately, though groggily. "Is it morning…" he mumbled before looking around the room. "…no… okay… hold on…"

The Feraligatr nodded and left. The human slowly rose from the bed, stretched briefly and followed him out of the room, pausing only to give Mewtwo an exasperated glare.

* * *

This meal, despite being served in the evening, largely resembled the one Anton had prepared the previous day. Mewtwo had described it as uninteresting, but at this point, it really didn't matter. It continued to smell appetizing and the other three seemed to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, he couldn't tell. Even though he was giving himself a large amount of maneuvering room in his charade, the fact was that Pokémon incarnations of human personality aspects were simply not expected to be able to eat things. Also, any hunger he retained was drowned out by his disbelief.

"_They cooked it."_

Despite his continued state of depression, Anton gave a genuine smile across the table. "This is good, Eli. You've gotten a lot better at this." The Dragonite smiled in response, and for a brief moment, he looked as cheerful as the other members of his species.

"_He cooked it."_

"…I guess I should talk about our situation, then."

"_**Why**__ did you teach him how to cook?"_

"Unfortunately, I still haven't come up with anything. We still don't have a plan."

"_I know that you can hear me. Refrain from ignoring me."_

"That last idea kinda cost us. Tickets to Sinnoh aren't cheap."

"_There was no reason for you not to use it."_

"We're getting nowhere fast. My head's been hurting a lot."

"_I do not understand why you do not simply capture a new Pokémon."_

"It feels like there's something wrong with me. Wrong with my head."

"_A Pokéball costs far less than a boat ticket."_

Anton turned his head in Mewtwo's direction suddenly. "These damn voices in my head aren't helping!" The other two Pokémon jumped slightly at the outburst.

Mewtwo crossed his arms. _"They would help you considerably more if you would simply listen to them."_

"At this rate", the human continued more softly, "I might have to stop. Get a doctor to look at me." He looked between the other two Pokémon slowly. "So before then… I want you to reconsider my request."

At once, the two roared something unintelligible.

"You should think about this seriously", he insisted. "You know I'm only holding you back at this point. Are you absolutely sure?"

Stappy stood slowly. Carefully moving around the table, he eventually reached Anton's side. He placed a single claw on his trainer's shoulder, shook his head slowly and repeated the same growl as before.

Anton returned his gaze for a moment before turning his head to look at Eli. Eli didn't move from his position, but simply gave the same growl and continued devouring his meal.

The human nodded reluctantly. "To the bitter end, then." He returned his attention to his food for a minute before looking up again. "I need to think about this some more." He stood. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

* * *

At this time of night and in such a remote location, the fields outside the building would normally be impossible to navigate. This had clearly come up before, as there appeared to be some form of lighting device arranged to light a large portion of grass that surrounded the house. Mewtwo decided not to get too close; he was uncertain how they functioned and considered the possibility of burns if he was to touch them.

"No matter what happens", Anton said in a voice too loud to be a simple monologue, "I will never stop being proud of them." He turned his head to look at the psychic. "Are you going to say things now?"

"_Are you willing to listen?"_

"I've got nothing else to do. Go ahead."

Mewtwo collected his thoughts and considered how to put this delicately. _"My first question is this. Is there a reason why you continue to attempt to solve the most straightforward challenge in a trainer's career using the most roundabout strategies possible?"_

It was difficult to see Anton rolling his eyes in this type of light. "You keep saying you're me. So why do you keep assuming things about me that just aren't true?"

"_You believe that I am wrong? You could have caught a new Pokémon at any point after you found out that you were not permitted to compete. And even today, you…"_

"Like I was saying… why do you keep saying stupid things like that?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I tracked down _dozens_ of them! I tried finding one to train for months! It was only…"

"_What?" _Mewtwo's voice was no longer composed. _"That was not what you said at all!"_

Anton blinked. "When did I ever say I _didn't?_"

Mewtwo stopped immediately and winced to himself. That had been a beginner mistake on his part, and he knew better than that. It would not help his case to reference conversations that he'd held with the human _before_ his memory was erased. And even then... he really hadn't said anything to that effect, had he? The implication was that his standards were so high that he had immediately looked for something to catch with his Master Ball...

He decided to address a different issue first. _"I appear to not have made this clear. I am only the part of you that represents your efforts to change yourself. I know absolutely nothing about anyone else that you might have trained."_ He tried to look apologetic. _"Please tell me more about them."_

"Not much to talk about." He shrugged. "Most of them tried to run away. The ones we tried to catch and train… they just weren't happy about it. It basically came down to two things. Either they didn't want anything to do with us, or they just wanted to battle." A louder sigh. "It's like… when you reach a certain level of battle experience, that's what you've decided you want to do. Not the Pokéathlon."

"_A certain level?"_

"That's another thing. Most Pokémon run for their lives when they see us." He gave a short chuckle. "I guess that works on some level. Anyone who sticks around is clearly something impressive enough to train."

"_They are afraid of…"_

A possibility popped into Mewtwo's mind. He hadn't been thinking about it earlier, but it would explain an odd detail that had just occurred to him.

"_Do you use repels?"_

"All the time."

Of course. After all, he had traveled through the entirety of the cave to meet him. Despite the fact that he said he no longer battled. If he hadn't been using repels, surely he would have gotten into a large number of altercations along the way…

"_You are aware that Pokémon might not flee you so regularly if you ceased to use them?"_

"I'm not an idiot", he said bitterly. "It's better for several reasons. Stappy and Eli don't have to worry about battling. We can narrow our search to the best possible choices. No more Graveler ambushes ruining everything."

He was still hurting over that incident. Mewtwo wasn't sure if this was a problem. But something else about this came to mind.

**I refuse to avoid interacting with the inferior. That group happens to consist of **_**the rest of the world**_**.** Even if he didn't agree with everything that Darkrai had ever told him, that part had been particularly poignant to him. After all, Mewtwo was just as superior.

What if Mewtwo had ignored his inferiors? He wouldn't have met a lot of Pokémon who had helped change his life. The clones. The originals from which they were cloned. The ever-persistent Pikachu. The loud-mouthed Meowth. Any of the Pokémon in Viridian Forest. Any of Sabrina's Pokémon.

Even _Darkrai_ might have had less power than him, disregarding his dark nature.

That settled it. Mewtwo never wanted to use a repel at any point in his life. But what about Anton?

"_Perhaps they would be more open to the idea of competing for you if you took the time to raise them?"_

The human shrugged. "Possibly. But it's still not practical." He gestured in the direction of the building. "_They_ were in that position, and it worked out for them. I really couldn't do that with a new one."

He sighed. "I don't battle anymore. It just stopped being appealing, I guess. More importantly, if I'm not trying to become a champion, I don't have much reason to journey from place to place." He nodded confidently. "When you're doing that, battles happen. People want to compete against you, and so do their Pokémon. You have something to prove."

He winced. "Could you imagine doing that if you _weren't_ on a journey? Try telling that to your Pokémon. 'I want you to knock out that other Pokémon. No, not to prove anything. I just want you to be stronger. No, I don't want you to get better at battling. You're going to get stronger so you can win medals.'

"And that's a sad thing I've come to realize. That's probably why Stappy and Eli are so good at this. They were trained to be battlers. I pushed them to their limits in that field. And then… they made the jump. They chose to become athletes. They trained in all of these events, and became even better." His voice had become downright awed. "If the Pokéathlon's about pushing yourself past your limits, they're the proof. They were the best they could possibly be… and then they got better."

His voice returned to normal. "I just can't repeat that miracle. I can't bring another Pokémon to reach that first step. If they jump too early… they won't be able to compare." He shook his head. "Even without repels. They see their new teammates, they see what they're expected to accomplish, and they have no choice but to give up."

Mewtwo agreed with the possibility. Even he had fallen into that trap. _"What about your other strategies?"_

"You already know the Manaphy one. It sounds so stupid now, doesn't it?"

The psychic nodded, while silently questioning the 'now' part.

"I guess my thought was that if I was that third Pokémon, the usual fears wouldn't apply. I'd train to the best of my ability and become just as good. Of course, that had problems, too. Mostly how I'd get a Pokémon to agree to such a plan if I can't even get it to agree with the training stuff by itself."

"_You seem to spend a lot of time caring about what the Pokémon think"_, Mewtwo interjected.

"I guess that's true… for what it's worth." Anton raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, I had another plan in mind before that one."

As he changed direction and headed to another side of the house, he elaborated. "One of the problems I had catching a new Pokémon is… well, I don't battle. Even Stappy and Eli… they haven't done it in a while. I kinda focused their training on more practical things."

"_Like cooking."_

"Yes, but that wasn't what I meant. Things like swimming and flying and climbing and breaking blockades. Things that are actually useful in everyday life.

"Anyway, yeah, I guess I do care a lot about Pokémon and what they want. I thought it was part of being a good trainer, so I worked on that. And one day some other people agreed that I was that kind of trainer, so they chose to reward me for it."

Mewtwo nodded. _"The Master Ball."_

"Oh, so you know about that. Anyway, my thought was that I could use that to capture something. Something normally beyond what I'd be able to get without it. And… better yet, it would become completely loyal to me." He paused briefly, and then waved his arms. "Nothing bad. I wouldn't force it to do bad things. But I did think that maybe that kind of loyalty would bypass the whole fear and reluctance issue. They would agree to join the Pokéathlon without hesitation, undergo my training, and become the third member. They'd be even better than before and we'd finally have a solid team."

He reached down to the ground and picked up an object. His voice became bitter. "Of course, that only works if the damn thing doesn't break."

Mewtwo rethought his next subject. He was already deep in the realm of dramatic irony, but this made for a good opportunity to learn more about his previous situation. _"If it had worked, what type of Pokémon would you have sought?"_

Anton hesitated briefly. "I actually thought of a number of things. Particularly strong wild Pokémon, or maybe even one of the more legendary ones."

"_Did you have a preference?"_

"I'll be honest. I really don't know much about athletic training, aside from the kind people like me do. So I guess I was hoping for one that was a lot like a human. Two arms, two legs, walking upright, things like that. There's a number of Pokémon like that, but… some of them have their own problems.

"Look at the ones they talk about in legend. Which ones look human? The closest things I could think of were ones like Groudon or Palkia. Those… wouldn't be a good idea. For one thing, they don't live in the Johto or Kanto area, so it's kinda hard to reach them. Manaphy-hard, probably. For another… if the stories are true, we're talking about the creator of land mass and the embodiment of space. Could you imagine what problems the world would have if they were forced into ownership rather than fulfilling those duties?"

So he did have a sense of responsibility, Mewtwo considered. He would limit his search to…

…a Pokémon of great power…  
…one who vaguely resembled a human in appearance…  
…one whose existence wasn't vital to a significant aspect of the world, and thus could be safely caught…  
…one who would have no complaint if it was told not to battle...  
…come to think of it, he would also appreciate one that could make its opinions known, since he actually cared about how his Pokémon felt…

Yes, the conclusion was obvious. There was no pretending otherwise. Mewtwo might as well have just placed a large target on his body and waited for Anton to find him.

"_I wonder"_, he once again spoke. _"You seem to think that finding a third Pokémon is the sole thing necessary to make everything right for you and your Pokémon. Do you actually believe that?"_

After some brief consideration, Anton shook his head. "I doubt it. Maybe if I got lucky. But odds are I'll still be a laughing-stock, I still won't know what to do with my life, and this insanity of mine probably won't go away without treatment."

"_You insisted that you were not crazy."_

"I'm discussing my past failures with the voices in my head. I think it's pretty clear. So… no, this won't help me." He smiled. "This is for them, anyway."

"_Stappy and Eli."_

"Who else? They've been training for the Pokéathlon for years. They can enter and compete any day now. They've got the skills necessary to win. Unless something else really stupid happens, I think they're set. They'll go on to do great things. I promise you that."

He sighed. "Unlike me", he admitted. "I can understand their loyalty and all, but… things have changed. They don't need my training anymore. Even if they want to improve, I'm pretty sure they can train themselves at this point." He glanced at the building again. "I'm just holding them back now. They should make a name for themselves. They'd probably have an easier time finding teammates than I could."

Mewtwo was skeptical. _"They would still need a human."_

"You say that as if there are trainers who _wouldn't_ want them."

The psychic was still not in a position to support or counter that theory. _"If you feel so strongly about it, there once again exists a trivial solution for you. You have their Pokéballs. You can simply __**release**__ them."_

"That…" Anton was looking slightly pained. "That's not how they'd want it, and neither do I. You have to remember… I wasn't really their trainer for those years. I was their _teammate_. I helped them get better, and they helped me." He looked a bit better. "My opinions don't outweigh theirs. So even now, even though I know they'd be better off without me… they continue to outvote me."

"_So… in the end, you are basically saying… that the only reason why you are still trying to get them into the Pokéathlon… is because __**they**__ want you to do so."_

"Sorta. I'd love to help them make it there. But I'd rather see them make it from afar if it means they'd actually have a chance."

Mewtwo was once again lost in thought. That had been short-sighted of him, and perhaps his earlier actions were far hastier than they should have been.

In fact, he considered bitterly, it was nothing short of hypocritical on his part.

Before he made a decision regarding whether or not he would allow himself to be trained for the Pokéathlon, he shouldn't have simply taken the word of a human trainer who had clearly gone through a large amount of emotional distress in the recent past. At some point, he should have considered asking how _the Pokémon_ felt about the whole thing.

They were still around. He still could.

Of course, given the current situation, it would be awkward. Anton would have to wonder why a figment of his own imagination would want to hold a conversation with someone else. Let alone how it would do it.

…on the other hand, he had devised that story himself, and he was therefore the one who dictated the rules…

* * *

By the time the two returned to the building's interior, the other two Pokémon were nowhere to be seen.

"They're probably asleep", Anton suggested.

"_That is unusual"_, Mewtwo said. _"They spent most of today inside their Pokéballs. They should not be tired."_

"It's a matter of convenience. Our training has always followed a relatively strict schedule. Changing our sleeping patterns would only make it less effective." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Even now, they stick to it, as though more training is just around the corner."

"_You do not believe they need it?"_

"They probably _will_ train tomorrow. I mean, there's not much else for them to do until I figure out what to do next." He looked down at the broken object he was still carrying. "I mean, figuring out what I did wrong might help a bit, but if I can't come up with something right, it doesn't get me anywhere."

Mewtwo decided to initiate his next plan. _"I believe that you have already determined the first step of the solution."_

Anton looked at him inquisitively. "Did I?"

"_All of your recent attempts were designed to address two specific criteria. You want a Pokémon that is well-trained in battle that is willing to take part in athletics."_ He nodded knowingly. _"I do not know if they exist in nature. Like Stappy and Eli, you may need to create them._

"_In that case, the first thing you need is their confidence."_

The human grumbled. "I wish it was so simple…"

"_Stappy and Eli still have their fullest confidence in you, even now. Why do you think that is?"_

"…I don't know."

_Neither do I_, Mewtwo thought, _but I intend to find out. "Clearly you did something right when you started. I think you should find out what that was."_ His eyes narrowed. _"Show me your hands."_

Anton blinked. "Huh… oh, fine." He held out both arms. In one hand, he was still carrying the broken remains of the device Mewtwo had destroyed the previous day.

Said psychic touched it with a single finger. _"It was that same confidence in you that allowed you to possess this."_

"…but it's broken."

"_You possessed it for years before you ever knew that. You knew that you did not need it."_ He ran his fingers over it. _"Despite its tarnish, it still means the same thing today. For now, think about how it happened. Once you know that, the rest of your plan will follow more easily."_

The human gazed at the device for a few more moments, and then placed it on a table. His eyes rose to the psychic suspiciously. "You seem awfully concerned with my mental state, considering you said you represented my training."

Mewtwo smirked. _"You have figured it out, I see."_ He considered something. _"You should have figured it out sooner. After all, you were able to overpower me in Vermillion."_

This time, Anton was the one to cross his arms. "So what are you really?"

"_I can be more accurately described as the embodiment of your potential. Physical, emotional, mental… I represent everything that you have been attempting to accomplish."_ A sigh. _"Of course, since you have been neglecting to train yourself… I was once far stronger."_

The other considered this for a moment before throwing his arms down in frustration. "And yet you still insist on looking like some kind of Pokémon."

"_Your desire…"_

"That was never my desire! I keep telling you that! That's just what the rumors say!"

That was odd, Mewtwo thought. He was sure he had picked up on that earlier. Perhaps the human was merely exhibiting some form of denial.

"_You seem particularly defensive about it."_ In fact, he thought, he had been more defensive about it today than he had ever been when he first brought up the subject.

Anton took a deep breath. "The insults hurt. More than they probably should. But... I don't know. Maybe it's the insanity. But when I think about it now… I mean, you think they have a point, right?"

The Pokémon's eyes became concerned. _"You should know your feelings better than I do. What do you think?"_

"That's just the problem. I think back to my training, and… yeah, I can see why they might think that. But that's not all. I try to think about what I was really thinking back then. I must have had a good reason, right? But… I can't come up with anything."

"_My understanding was that you desired to be stronger. As strong as a Pokémon." _His eyes lit up. _"Strong enough to clear rubble in ten seconds."_

"Okay, that part makes sense." He shook his head. "That still doesn't explain why I actually wanted to join the Pokéathlon myself."

"_You wished to test your strength against them, correct? To show them what a human could do?"_

"Exactly. Why would I want that?" His voice lowered to a mutter. "It's not like we're even close to comparable…"


	9. Relay

**Event 9: Relay**

Mewtwo wasn't tired.

Stappy and Eli were still sound asleep. Anton's earlier nap hadn't been enough for him, it seemed, and he headed back to his bed shortly after their conversation had ended. This left him alone with his thoughts, giving him the perfect opportunity to plan out his next move.

Was he really thinking of giving them a second chance? He kept finding himself leaning in that direction. Not completely, though. Some of the things he had learned made him feel like he had made a poorly-informed decision, while others blatantly contradicted some of Anton's earlier statements and actions.

Was he lying, or was he mistaken, or was this a result of his current mental state? No matter what the cause, he could no longer count on the human as a credible primary source of information. This left him with the other two obvious options.

They had been with him since before they ever trained for the Pokéathlon. It was inconceivable that they hadn't noticed his behavioral changes. Yet even today, they continued to support him. There had to be a reason. He didn't know what it would be, but he had come up with at least two very good possibilities. For one…

…no, this wasn't the time to speculate. He had a small amount of extra time on his hands, and he didn't want it to go to waste.

He moved outside the building to the lit portion of the field. After judging the dimensions of the area, he started what he assumed was a brisk walk. He continued to pick up speed and eventually made another attempt at a jog.

His form was still poor. He wasn't covering distance very quickly. But at least he wasn't having trouble keeping his balance this time.

Tomorrow's conversation would be the key to his decision. The odds were fairly good that he would again make an effort to indulge this pastime, whether successful or not. Of course, there were a number of obvious obstacles in the way of that possibility. He didn't mind. He could handle them. He had come this far, and he was still in control of the situation.

For now, his concern was that if he truly chose to follow that course, the others would need to agree. They would have to believe that he was capable of being trained for the Pokéathlon.

He didn't need to know how to be a great runner for that. But it would help to be a runner at all.

* * *

At the early signs of morning light, Stappy was the first to stir.

The conditions of what could be best described as his bedroom were simple yet appropriate for the Pokémon. A seemingly comfortable surface for sleeping rested near one wall. A number of well-scratched posts stood nearby, most likely for him to either sharpen or wear down his claws. A device in another corner contained an amount of high-temperature water that would occasionally be released into the room as a vapor. There were also a couple of places to sit near the entrance, almost certainly for Anton and Eli to use.

One was currently occupied.

"_Good morning"_, Mewtwo said cheerily.

The resulting roar of alarm filled the room. The psychic had anticipated such an excited reaction and had closed the door behind him, just in case. _"We should not make noise"_, he calmly continued. "_Anton needs to sleep."_

(Who are you?) Stappy asked in a threatening manner.

Before Mewtwo could answer, the door opened from behind him, and he immediately found himself tightly held by a pair of golden-tinted arms. (Who is this?) the roar sounded from behind him.

He did a quick mental check of the building before continuing. Anton was still asleep. This would help_. "And you must be Eli. I am sorry to disturb you like this, but I desire to speak with you."_

Stappy's toothy visage remained unimpressed. (That's no reason to break into our house.) He glanced up at the Pokémon behind the intruder. (We should tell…)

"_Anton is already aware of my presence, I assure you."_ Mewtwo nodded confidently. _"I have been speaking with him for some time."_

(You've spoken with him?) Eli asked incredulously.

"_Yes. Not to incur your jealousy, but humans tend to understand what I have to say."_ At this point, he thought, it might be in his interest to sound confident. He needed to make an impression on these two. _"That is not important. I have some things to discuss with you two."_

(…why?)

"_Because I have been asked to be the third member of your Pokéathlon team and I want to know why."_

At once, the grip on Mewtwo's shoulders vanished, replaced soon afterward by open claws dusting his arms off. The Feraligatr's expression, however, didn't change significantly. (You are serious?)

"_It is too early to say."_ The psychic raised an arm in the direction of the door. _"__He__ sounds serious, however. Desperate as well."_

Stappy nodded slowly. (Sounds like him.)

(Are you even an athlete?) Eli wondered aloud.

It would not help him to sound like a liar, though. _"I am unskilled at best"_, he admitted. _"I have far more experience in battle."_

(…that _is_ what he's been looking for.)

Stappy's voice became a quiet, pained mutter. (…if he really did… it's hard to believe…)

"_I do not understand why. He tells me that he has searched for quite a while."_

(A while ago, he would have done that. Right now… I mean, he actually asked us to leave yesterday.)

Mewtwo nodded. _"I know. He really seems to want you two to succeed. But he seems to think…"_

(He told us the same thing), Eli agreed. (And I can tell you right now that he's wrong. No matter what he says, he hasn't lost his edge.)

"_I have not seen much of an edge from him." _He closed his eyes briefly. _"However, I cannot ignore the claim that you are the results of his efforts."_

(It's true.) A guilty pause. (It's also true that he's been on a decline lately. That doesn't mean we don't trust him with our training.)

"_Is that the logic behind your refusal to leave him?"_

The Dragonite looked offended. (I am **not** going to break up the team!)

Mewtwo blinked. _"Even when he desires…"_

(He doesn't know what he's talking about.) Eli gave a smile that revealed a few fangs on the side of his mouth. (Sooner or later, we're going to be in the Pokéathlon. We're going to win it. When that day comes, and we receive our medals, they will be honoring the trainer along with us.

(That will be Anton. No question about it. He's the one who trained us. He's the reason we're going to be champs. So he'll get the credit. I will not allow anyone else to take that from him. **Ever.**)

The psychic nodded in understanding. _"I do not blame you. But in the…"_

(Exactly), a surprisingly calm growl sounded from behind him. (If someone else takes us on his team, who will Anton have left?)

Mewtwo went silent. That, he had to admit, was an equally good point. He turned slowly to face Stappy. _"You are less confident."_

(I really don't know anymore.) He lowered his head, leaving the top of his spiky head pointing at the others. (If there was a sign… a reason to believe things were improving… maybe I'd say otherwise. But right now… I won't blame you if you're not interested.) He sighed. (I simply can't assume that he can bring us to the Pokéathlon.)

"_But that is not enough to drive you away."_

(Don't get me wrong. I've been working hard for this, too. I'd gladly take part at the first opportunity. But I'd be willing to trade away the entire Pokéathlon and every bit of training I've done for it if it meant we could have Anton back.)

(He's **not gone!**) Eli roared.

(You can still say that? You can look at him and say that?) Stappy was glaring at Eli now. (He's miserable! He's inactive! He might even be insane now!) He looked at Mewtwo again. (Times haven't been good to him. Twice now, fate's turned against him, and I just don't know if he can survive a third incident.)

Mewtwo pondered briefly. _"Two incidents… the cave-in and his attempt to be your teammate?"_

Eli blinked. (He told you?)

Stappy looked at the psychic a bit more closely. (You knew about that, and you're still here? You have more willpower than I thought.) His head twitched suddenly. (Wait. Cave-in? No, I didn't mean _that_.)

"_Are you certain? He told me that it was the second-worst day of…"_

(Are you kidding me?) Eli interrupted. (That's when the _good_ part started!) He stopped briefly, scratching his head. (Yes, it _was_ a bad time for him, I hear. It started out bad for us, too. I don't even know how long it was before he let us out again.) His smile returned. (But suddenly, everything went right.)

(I'm sure not everyone he released felt the same way), Stappy muttered.

(He started teaching us how to do… different things. Useful things, the kind that made life easier for us. We started doing less fighting and more athletics. We didn't even have to use our Pokéballs anymore. Best of all, he was right there alongside us the whole time.)

(We were confused at first), the Feraligatr added. (But he made it clear soon enough. He said he wanted us all to be equals. And then he told us about the Pokéathlon.) He groaned. (The day we showed up, though… _that_ was bad. You were right about that.)

"_That was when he became so depressed?"_

(I wouldn't use that word. More… disillusioned. Worried that he'd been living a lie. But he still had high hopes for us. Don't worry, he said. We'd get a new partner and we'd still get the glory we sought.)

"_This is where my understanding grows fuzzy"_, Mewtwo admitted. _"How long did he seek a new partner, and where?"_

(Months at least), Eli answered quickly. (I don't know all of the places we searched. I remember he went to the Safari Zone once, at least.)

(It didn't pay off), Stappy continued. (Still, he never gave up. We would find someone in time, he said.)

A long pause. (And then one day he tried using that big purple ball on the wall, and it broke, and it was the last straw for him.)

"_The Master Ball? It meant that much to him?"_

(…not really), the Dragonite said. (It's been sitting there for years. He rarely touched the thing. Just to dust it off, usually. Sure, he'd usually smile whenever he saw it, but… let's put it this way. When he thought about using it, he was basically saying "Why didn't I think of that sooner?")

"_What caused it to break?"_ Mewtwo asked, and then immediately winced to himself. That was the wrong question to ask, and he wondered briefly if he would have to feed their minds the answer himself.

(I… don't know…) Eli said hesitantly. (It all happened so fast…)

(I can't remember, either), Stappy added. (But I definitely remember what happened right afterward. Anton stared at it for a while. Then, suddenly, he turned and walked away, locked himself in his bedroom and didn't come out for hours. So… I guess that ball must have meant _something_ to him.)

"_Did he say anything at the time?"_

(He was mostly talking to himself, saying things like "What am I even doing?" and "What was I thinking?" I don't know why, but it sounded to me like he had lost…)

"…what… what are…"

The three Pokémon suddenly turned toward the open doorway to see a disheveled Anton standing on the opposite side. His face had gone completely pale, his body was shaking, and he continued to struggle to vocalize a coherent thought.

"_Good morning"_, Mewtwo said cheerfully in his direction. The other two growled something incomprehensible at him.

"…y… you… **can you actually see him?**" he blurted out.

The reptiles nodded immediately. Mewtwo shrugged. _"It seems that I am as real as you need me to be."_

"…that… that's just…" He took a deep breath and shook his head. "...I… I'm not going to ask… I'll just go… um, make breakfast, okay?" Unsteadily, he turned to the side and started to walk away.

"_I would like a portion as well"_, Mewtwo called behind him. _"If it is no trouble for you."_

The human stopped for a brief moment before continuing on his way, not visibly acknowledging the request.

Eli slowly turned to face Mewtwo with an incredulous look. (As real as he needs…)

"_I met him under unusual circumstances"_, the psychic interrupted quickly. _"Even now, we do not understand all of the specifics."_

(No kidding.)

"_Speaking of not understanding, I cannot help but notice that you growl at him frequently, and usually at a time when he is speaking to you."_

(That?) Stappy responded. (That's how we talk to him.)

Mewtwo turned to face him in surprise. _"It is? I cannot understand it at all."_

(Of course you can't. We don't use normal speech.)

"_Why not?"_

(Have you listened to us talk?) Eli asked. (Or any other Pokémon? Any human will tell you the same thing. It just sounds like us saying our name a lot, or some other sound they can't understand. It doesn't work.)

"_I have noticed that"_, the psychic said. _"That is why you use tone and body language, correct?"_

(You haven't been working out as long as we have. When you're tired, body language is painful, and lesser motions blend together. When you're straining or out of breath, it's hard to tell the tone of your voice.) The Dragonite smiled. (We have to do something else. Since we growl equally well, we use that as the basis. It's based on rhythm and length, so we aren't misunderstood.)

(It's not that much), Stappy explained. (Just common things. Yes and no. Morning greetings and evening farewells. Asking for a task, or telling him that a task is complete. Signals to tell him that we're in pain or tired or hungry or that everything is okay.) He gave a toothy smile. (We haven't needed much else. Our usual situations make some of them more obvious than others. If we need new ones, we make new ones.)

Mewtwo nodded appreciatively. _"Even so, I find it impressive that he could identify such an easily overlooked problem and solve it so…"_

(What?) The Feraligatr gestured in Eli's direction. (No, _we_ came up with the idea. We taught it to _him_.)

"_That seems backward."_

(How so?) Stappy gave him an inquisitive look. (Communication between the trainer and his Pokémon is always important… and it's usually harder for the Pokémon. It's even more vital if they're meant to be a team. Once the trainer insists that we should be equal… there simply isn't a reason not to do it.)

"_That still leaves gaps in communication." _Mewtwo suddenly had an idea. _"Perhaps I can fill them. I should tell Anton the things that you have told me. He will truly understand how you feel."_

(No.)

His growing smile vanished. _"No?"_

(We _can_ communicate with him), Stappy insisted. (He knows how we feel. Or, if he doesn't, we'll ensure he does. Right now, his problem is accepting it. This is something we need to work on… by our own means.)

Mewtwo shrugged. _"I merely wished to assist you."_

(That feeling's normal), Eli commented from the side. (That's how teams work, after all. Everyone helps everyone else.)

* * *

Shortly afterward, Mewtwo was once again reacquainted with Anton's style of cooking.

At this point, he simply wasn't concerned about its appearance, taste or nutritional value. He spent more time keeping his eyes on the human, who was currently sitting on the opposite side of the room watching the Pokémon eat. He occasionally closed his eyes or pressed a hand against them or his forehead. The psychic wasn't sure why.

Eventually Stappy turned his attention away from the food to look at his trainer while giving off one of the previously described growls.

"…I… I don't…" Anton stammered in a worried tone of voice.

A moment later, Eli also paused from his meal to give an identical growl.

"How am I supposed to answer that?" the human finally declared loudly. Mewtwo quickly came to the conclusion that this particular growl was the one used to ask for instructions or tasks. "I don't even know what's going on! Maybe I'm dreaming! Maybe this is just another… no… wait, you're here… are you? For all I know, you aren't! You probably both left last night, and now I'm imagining three of you… but you all ate the…"

With a grimace on his face, Mewtwo picked up a small piece of meat and threw it at the human.

He reacted quickly, lifting his arm and grabbing it out of the air. After gazing at the meat briefly, he started again in a slightly calmer tone of voice. "Okay… you're real. All of you are real. Let's go with that. But why? How did this happen? How _can_ it happen? If you…"

"_**Train me.**__"_

Anton shuddered at the psychic's tone of voice, leaving the rest of his sentence unfinished. He swallowed quickly. "What?"

"_When I am able to determine a satisfactory answer to your questions, I shall provide you with it."_ Mewtwo stood. _"At this moment, there is only one question that concerns me. Answer it. Train me."_

The human scratched the back of his neck. "But… I don't even know if I can."

"_**Precisely.**__ You do not know. I do not know. Stappy does not know. Eli does not know. This is unacceptable. How can any of us possibly make a decision regarding the future of your Pokéathlon team when none of us can state with any conviction whether or not you are capable of training a third member?_

"_You were once able to train them. Can you still do it? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I no longer care to speculate. I want this question answered once and for all."_

"But you're not even a proper Pokémon!"

Mewtwo rolled his eyes. _"I see no problem there. If I do not have self-doubt, I can submit to your methods without hesitation. I have a direct connection to you. I can inform you if your efforts are working."_

He smiled sincerely. _"Most importantly, I embody potential. I do not display any prior training. I know little of your events. I am devoid of technique. I am a blank slate. But I have no boundaries. If you can make me stronger, I will become stronger. If you cannot, I will not. Anything that I become… we will know who is responsible for it."_

(That… is that true?) Eli asked from the side.

The psychic gave him a shrug. _"The truth may be more complex than we suspect. Perhaps it makes no sense. But in the end, it matters little. We merely need to know if he can make me stronger, correct?"_

"It… took me a while to train them", Anton eventually said. "Even if I can do this right… are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Yes. He was. Mewtwo had reached his decision.

As always, there were positive and negative aspects to consider. But in the end, he had to remember one key thing. He could still quit whenever he wanted. He could accept temporary inconvenience until he was no longer willing, and make his departure then.

Why would he want to stay? Several reasons came to mind. He didn't want to abandon the human if he could no longer be sure that he was a lost cause. If the human could recover from his recent decline, he wanted to see it happen. If he could ensure a lack of considerably more insane plans, that would ease his conscience. He still didn't have a satisfactory answer regarding some of Anton's constant self-contradiction, and following this path would allow him to investigate further. Besides, if the reptiles were truly as strong as they seemed, and Anton truly could bring other Pokémon up to that level, he couldn't think of a reason why he wouldn't want to undergo that process.

In-character, however, there was a far more obvious and compelling reason. Not only that, but it was also a neat escape clause if this attempt failed to turn out better than the previous one.

"_I must. If I am wrong, and there truly is no hope for you… I will cease to exist."_


	10. Dash

**Event 10: Dash**

Mewtwo stood motionless and quietly in the center of the room, trying his hardest to mask his impatience. Anton paced around him slowly, viewing him from various angles and hopefully familiarizing himself with his subject. Every once in a while his eyes darted up at Stappy and Eli, who stood equally still several feet away.

In a quick motion, his hand shot out and gripped Mewtwo's upper arm tightly.

The psychic recoiled immediately and pulled his arm away, forcing the human to let go. Perhaps too forcefully, he suddenly realized. Hopefully he hadn't noticed that the force that caused him to let go was more than simply the Pokémon's physical strength.

Anton didn't seem to notice. "Don't be difficult."

"_Do __**not**__ do that"_, Mewtwo warned him. _"Do not grab at me. Do not surprise me. I am not accustomed to such things."_

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot… you usually don't manifest." He paused in thought. "But that's kinda why I wanted to check. Um… could you hold out your arm? Please?"

He sighed. 'No' was simply not going to be a sufficient answer for this man. Without any further ado, he extended his arm and prepared himself for the worst.

Anton took it more gently this time and ran his hands along its length, starting at the wrist. He squeezed in several places, but not in a manner that caused pain or caught the psychic off guard. Eventually he gripped the Pokémon's shoulder with one hand and ran the other down the side of his chest.

"This isn't very developed", he eventually said. "But I think you're right about the whole blank slate thing. It's already firm and sturdy. If we put time and effort into it, you could really be a powerhouse." He glanced down slightly. "I bet it's the same, but just to be sure… take a step forward, please."

Mewtwo obeyed, and the human immediately knelt down to check his forward leg. Once again, this involved direct contact, with occasional prodding and gripping. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about this, but he assumed that this was standard for this style of training.

Anton stood again. "Not a hundred percent sure, but here's my guess. You need to focus on your arms and legs. Work on power, speed and jumping." He put his hand to his chin. "This body of yours isn't freshly hatched, though, so odds are you've got the other stuff. Skill, we can look at later. Stamina…"

Without any warning, the human punched the psychic in the chest.

The pain was close to negligible, and Mewtwo tried his hardest not to lose his temper. Anton looked into his eyes and grinned. "Maybe not the toughest Pokémon I've seen, but you can definitely already take a hit. With that in mind…" He turned toward the door. "Let's start with the basics, okay? Follow me. All of you."

As the quartet filed out of the building, the human tried his best to explain. "You're new to the solid body thing, right? In that case, let's not assume that you're experienced with it. Mobility is the high priority. Then strength." He started pacing. "We can do it that way. Um… I'll need to check on the equipment. Stappy, you can help me with that. Uh… Eli, can you take him on the long path?"

The Dragonite nodded dutifully. At the same time, the Feraligatr moved to his trainer's side.

"_The long path?"_ Mewtwo asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"_This is how you intend to start my training? You are certain about this?"_

Anton scratched his head. "I'm not certain about anything. I'm just doing the best I know." He gave a half-smile. "That's what you wanted from me, right?"

* * *

This was not the training regiment Mewtwo had been expecting.

True, Anton had drawn the same conclusions as before. He needed to run better and become physically stronger. But there was no dash. No immediate struggles with the "bench", or whatever the device was actually called. Just a walk through unfamiliar yet surprisingly well-traveled wilderness with the trainer's beloved Dragonite.

"_I believe the original intent was for me to receive __**his**__ training"_, he pointed out.

At his side, Eli seemed unfazed by the comment. (I don't think any trainer could help you with this part), he argued.

"_That speaks poorly of them."_

The other's eyes grew serious. (Most trainers I know try to teach us how to mix our running with our battle style. It's rare to meet one that can help us run faster.) He shook his head slowly. (I can't imagine any of them trying to teach us how to run at all.)

Mewtwo looked at him with a startled expression. _"Was it that obvious? I do not recall having an opportunity to run in your presence."_

(Even when you walk, you move with far too much caution.) He smiled with a hint of confusion in his eyes. (I might not know exactly what you are, but it's clear you're new at this. That's why he picked me. I can help you.)

"_I am surprised that you would be his selection. There is little reason to focus on legwork when you are equipped with wings."_

(I didn't always have them. Not every event allows them. Even when they do, it helps to get a good running start to cover ground faster.) He held up two claws. (I was given this part for two reasons. First… maybe you can't tell, but I'm our team's best sprinter. Jumper, too. We teach what we know.) He nodded confidently. (There's a reason why Stappy's going to help with the power stuff.)

His voice grew more hesitant. (And second… I've been through this, too. So I know what worked for me.)

Mewtwo looked him up and down while maintaining his attempted pace. _"I will admit that you do not appear to have the physique of a devoted runner."_

Eli gave him an odd look. (When Anton first trained me, I didn't have _arms or legs_.)

The psychic's flash of understanding was visible. _"You would have been a Dragonair first."_

(When my old master passed me along to him, I was still a Dratini. I was raised in the water under the gym, so I usually swam to get around. In fact,) he said with a slight grin on his face, (I'm pretty sure that's how I got my name. Anton thought my body looked like an eel.)

"_A weak reason, but a respectable name. Especially when compared to some."_

The Dragonite rolled his eyes. (You'd be surprised how quickly you can get used to a name like Stappy.) He grew serious again. (Moving on land was an early problem. The Pokéball usually solved it. Things got better after I evolved, but I still had to learn things like walking from scratch.) He gave Mewtwo's legs a cautious look. (How are they working so far? Is this comfortable yet?)

"_I am not certain how to measure such a thing. Give me a clearer goal."_

(For now, I want you to be able to move at a quick pace without falling or straining yourself.) Eli rubbed the side of his head with a single claw. (Really, we won't be able to help you get faster until we learn how it's supposed to look.)

Mewtwo's gaze lowered to the path in front of them. _"You do not already know?"_

(You don't walk like the rest of us. Your legs are... I don't know what to call it. You're always on your toes. You can't shift your weight as much.) He nodded slowly. (We can't show you how to do it. We're better off seeing how _you_ handle the easy part.)

"_Thus, in the end, your experience means nothing."_

(You _should_ be a fast runner. If you train as long as I have, you should be able to outsprint me.) He gestured. (You have much longer legs. Thin build. Wide and firm hips.) His eyes became more determined. (This will come with time. We _will_ figure it out.)

"_To phrase it another way, I will only meet your standards after years have passed"_, Mewtwo grumbled.

Eli came to a sudden stop. (Our standards? You sound as though you are more interested in being trained than testing Anton.)

The psychic slowed and turned to face him. _"Do not misconstrue me"_, he said quickly. _"It is my understanding that he is holding himself and his finances to some degree of a time limit."_

(He'll figure out something if he has to.) The Dragonite looked confident again. (I know this isn't the fastest way to do this. But right now, we're using this way because it's the most likely to work.

(We can afford to wait. We can't afford to fail again.)

* * *

Anton and Stappy were already waiting when Mewtwo and Eli finally returned to the area near the residence.

Briefly, Mewtwo wished they weren't. His legs were weary, and his feet were once again in pain. He had more than enough willpower to resist the desire to rest them through levitation, but the desire was definitely there. With any luck, he would have an opportunity to use a more traditional form of relaxation.

(Did everything go well?) Stappy asked the other reptile as he reached his side.

(I'm not carrying him), Eli replied with a grin.

"…well, then", Anton said hesitantly. "I hope that helped… um… why don't you sit down for a bit? You look tired."

Mewtwo took his advice immediately. The human smiled slightly and continued. "I'm thinking you might need to start the other part slowly, too. In that case… um… hold on a second."

He moved away from the group and approached one of the other sides of the building. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up something from the ground, turned and headed back toward the Pokémon.

(Is that…?) Eli growled softly to Stappy.

"Catch."

Mewtwo saw a blur of motion heading in his direction. With a quick motion of his right arm, he snatched it out of the air before it reached him. Curious, he looked at it. It appeared to be nothing more than a small white ball, easily gripped and held in a single hand.

He looked up at Anton. _"If this is meant to be power training, you have set your expectations particularly low."_

"It isn't", Anton responded. "We'll get to that. Right now, just throw it at me."

The psychic obliged. The human didn't appear to be expecting it to come so quickly, and it struck him in the chest. It didn't seem to cause him any harm, though.

"Good aim", he said as he bent down to pick it up. "Try it again."

The ball flew in Mewtwo's direction again. He once again intercepted it and threw it back at Anton. The human caught it this time, pausing briefly afterward to look to both sides. Nothing on his right. Stappy on his left.

With a subtle motion of his wrist, he tossed the ball to his left. Stappy seemed to have been expecting this, as he quickly snatched the ball with his claw and sent it flying at Mewtwo less than a second later.

His hand barely lifted in time to stop it. Unfortunately, he was unable to catch it before it touched the ground. With a suspicious look in his eye, he picked up the ball and threw it back at Stappy.

Stappy didn't hesitate. He quickly deflected the ball with his arm, which traveled to his right over his trainer's head and toward a now-repositioned Eli. Mewtwo had noticed his presence, and was prepared for the inevitable throw.

Instead Eli struck the ball with the palm of his open claw back toward Anton, who caught and threw it toward the psychic himself.

It struck him near the top of his head.

Fortunately, Anton had been right about him, as he had previously learned how to absorb physical strikes. The projectile wasn't particularly painful, either. He merely allowed his body to roll with the strike, sending him into a backward roll. Thinking fast, he attempted to stand upright in a fluid motion. It worked, although he had to use his tail to adjust his balance. Despite their early exercise, his legs had recovered enough to keep him upright.

A second later, the ball came back down from its upward ricochet. After briefly gauging its trajectory, he swung his tail back toward himself, made contact with the ball and held it against the side of his chest. This left his arms free, which he promptly crossed as he glared at the human.

"_That was not fair."_

Anton, despite himself, smiled. "It wasn't meant to be."

After a moment, Mewtwo allowed himself to smile as well. His tail adjusted to move underneath the ball, which it then tossed lightly upward to where he could quickly grab it with his hand.

The battle was not yet over.

* * *

(It is odd), Stappy considered quietly as the group moved across the field, (how sometimes the simple things can be the most fun.)

Mewtwo thought about this briefly. _"That may be true." _His expression soured. _"Still, I do not believe that fun was meant to be one of our objectives."_ He turned his head to look at Anton. _"Why did we do that?"_

"It's odd", Anton replied. "I really didn't intend for it to be a game." He held up a couple of fingers. "I just thought, first, you were tired from walking and we needed to do something that you didn't need to move around a lot to do."

His expression lit up. "And second, it looks like I was right, I thought it was a good time to test your skill, and wouldn't you know, you've got a lot of it."

"_I suppose I do. How will this affect your training?"_

"I guess it means we stick to the plan. Work on strength, speed and jumping. Do a bit of stamina and skill, but it's not the focus." He gestured forward. "And here we are."

Mewtwo winced almost immediately as his attention returned to the large balls that had previously been associated with the "Goal Roll". Those had not been pleasant memories.

"We use these for Goal Roll", Anton explained, failing to recognize how unnecessary it was. "It takes a lot of strength to move them well, but they're just as good for gradual build-up. You should start out with them."

"_Are you certain?" _Mewtwo attempted to keep his words vague. _"You do not possess any other heavy objects that are designed to help increase one's strength?"_

Anton was visibly thinking. "…I'm pretty sure I do… but… well, no, we shouldn't mess with those. Not yet."

"_Not yet?"_

"The thing is… it's still the middle of the day. If I put you on the weights or anything like that, we'd probably want to work to exhaustion. And that means…" He gestured vaguely. "…you know, exhaustion. You won't want to do anything else for the rest of the day." He glanced in the direction where he had left the equipment. "If we're actually interested in spending today training, that's not the way to do it."

An obvious and potentially strongly-worded question immediately came to the psychic's mind, and it took a fair amount of his willpower to keep himself from asking it. Instead, he changed the subject of his thoughts. _"In that case, how should I utilize these balls?"_

"Let's start slow", Anton answered. "Pick a ball."

It was a pointless step, Mewtwo thought, but it still carried the vague sense that he had at least some small say in what he was doing. Of course, it would have helped if there had been any visible difference between them.

He moved next to a random ball. _"This one."_

"Okay. Put your weight against it. Somewhere near the center. Not too hard, or you'll strain yourself."

"_If your intent is to instruct me how to roll it properly, I do not believe that this step is necessary."_

"Maybe not, but I'd like to be sure", the trainer countered. "Besides, even if you know how, it's good for your arms."

Mewtwo sighed and placed his hands upon the ball with no further hesitation. After a small amount of forceful pushing, it began to move. He followed it closely, and before long the task had changed from exerting his strength against it to attempting to keep it under control as momentum kept it moving.

After several minutes of this, he adjusted his path so that he had a clear view of the human again. _"Is my current effort sufficient for now"_, he asked, _"or how long do you intend for this exercise to continue?"_

Anton hadn't said anything for a few minutes. In fact, he still seemed lost in thought briefly before he managed to verbalize his thoughts unsurely. "…what you said before… that was supposed to be a hint, wasn't it?"

The psychic tried to remember any earlier words he might have said that would provoke such a reaction. Shortly afterward, he gave up trying to narrow it down. _"What do you mean?"_

"Of course I have other ways to build strength! You were with me the whole time I was training, right? You know as well as I do that I got stronger using the weights!" He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to play dumb!"

"_I understand that you do not wish for me to use them yet."_

"And yet you brought them up anyway. So… maybe… you think I _should_ be putting you on them?" He started pacing. "Or maybe… you just wanted to see if I know what I'm doing, or…"

Mewtwo sighed to himself. This wasn't the kind of response he wanted from Anton. In truth, he had to admit, the only reason he had brought it up had been completely lost on the human, considering he had no memory of the previous training regiment. And his logic made sense from the standpoint that everything he had been told wasn't a lie. With that in mind… maybe it had been a mistake to ask. If the current problem stemmed from low self-confidence, the last thing Anton needed was a reason to start second-guessing himself.

"No… I still think the ball's better right now", Anton eventually decided. "But still, how about this? When it starts getting late… we can try out the weights, and we can decide if they'll work for you, all right?"

* * *

Anton had been absolutely correct about one thing, Mewtwo unhappily considered as he entered the room where he had slept two nights before. After working with the weights until the evening meal was complete, he was not in the mood to do anything else.

It wasn't limited to training or exercises, either. He didn't want to support his weight with his legs. He didn't want to move his arms to pick up the pieces of food, which had apparently been prepared by Stappy this time. Even now, as he lay upon what was probably intended to be a soft, malleable and comfortable surface, he knew that he would have been happier floating in midair, where the only forces acting upon his sore body were telekinetic in nature.

Still, he desired to keep up appearances. Well, not quite. Anton had already seen him float a few times. More importantly, he would want him to keep to the spirit of what he assumed was a temporary physical existence.

Even so, Mewtwo couldn't tell if this was helping. Or the earlier exercise, for that matter. He had learned how to properly maneuver one of the heavy balls, and eventually the training shifted to learning how to pass and receive it. This was far less painful than the prior "shooting" attempt, as it largely consisted of letting the ball leave his control, or bringing a ball already in motion under control.

This was practically the opposite of the first training regiment. Last time, he was confident that Anton knew what he was doing, but was more annoyed by his impatient and demanding manner. This time, he found the activities easier to accomplish, even if they almost seemed trivial, but he could no longer be sure that this would actually benefit him.

…patience. That was one of the key differences, wasn't it? Eli had said that the group didn't want to make any further mistakes. Before, Anton was proudly declaring that Mewtwo would be one of the greatest athletes in existence. Now, he would consider any form of improvement on his part a personal success.

That wasn't the only reason, Mewtwo realized. Perhaps he had been putting too much pressure on the human before. Telling him that he would punish him and leave if he was at any time unhappy with the experience? That would have explained the accelerated pace.

Another factor was the fact that Anton knew just how powerful the Pokémon was the first time. He knew that he could expect more out of him.

Of course, this meant that he had been expecting _too much_, considering that he was by no means an athlete.

…come to think of it, had the human actually been impatient that first time? He had tried to be just as motivational, repeatedly assuring the psychic that he would improve over time. Really, when he thought about it, it was those high expectations that were giving him the most trouble. In fact, thinking back, it seemed as though…

_For now… uh… we just need to find something that you're good at…I mean… once we find it, we can start training it together. That way…_

…it seemed as though Anton was expecting him to be a star athlete, and was trying his hardest to reassure himself once he found that his latest catch wasn't living up to his expectations…

Anton had definitely known who he was. Maybe not everything. He had been surprised to find that he could talk, after all.

_It's just… this is the first time I've had a Pokémon explain the details of something they do to me. You know… not just giving them instructions, but knowing that they not only understand, but can correct me or…_

Or was he? A Pokémon that was capable of speech was a rarity. Perhaps he had already known that, but the experience of actually having it happen had thrown him, as if he was just realizing what it truly meant.

He seemed to know a number of other things about him. Where he lived, his capabilities as a psychic, the fact that he was artificially produced…

…that was _not_ common knowledge among humans. He certainly hadn't been telling everyone he met about that. Not even Sabrina.

_Why do you even care? I heard you don't even battle much anymore._

…the way he said that… it implied that he knew that he used to battle… and that at some point, he gave it up… phrased in a manner that suggested that he knew something about his battling while he was still doing it…

…how long had Anton known about Mewtwo, anyway? It was starting to sound less and less probable that the human had only done his research once he decided to use the Master Ball. It seemed as though he had taken a keen interest in his life, possibly for years…

…and now that he was considering the possibility, past events seemed to fit it more and more.

…he called Mewtwo an artificially-created _perfect_ Pokémon…  
…while he had brought the Master Ball with him, he had made it clear that he didn't want to use it if it wasn't necessary…  
…even after catching him, he continued to try to persuade him, as if he didn't want to force him into anything against his will…  
…the way he spoke about the Pokéathlon, it was as though he expected him to agree with his point of view…  
…and he got particularly upset whenever his beliefs on the subject were dismissed…  
…he took a lengthy break from the training for no other reason than to reassure him that he was a worthy trainer, despite such criticisms…  
…and once Mewtwo made his decision to leave, he practically _exploded_…

This was not the most surprising thing that he had learned about Anton, but it was worth acknowledging. He must have thought _very_ highly of Mewtwo, and welcomed his company, and probably would have done anything to ensure that he could continue training him.

This wasn't a familiar experience for the psychic. In the wake of everything he had done, and everything about him that had been made public, people and Pokémon had formed various opinions about him. Some of their emotions made sense. Fear. Curiosity. Caution. Things such as admiration weren't common. And he certainly wouldn't have expected to have anything along the lines of a _fan_.

Not that he found the concept unappealing.

But in the end, he had been unimpressed with the human, and chose to leave, and after that last argument, he had taken measures to ensure that he would never find him again…

…and now Anton was acting like a completely different person, even though the rest of his life had been unchanged…

Mewtwo sat up suddenly.

It was an uncomfortable idea, but if his train of thought was going somewhere, he had to acknowledge it.

The final straw that broke his back may not have been the loss of the Master Ball after all. Or his repeated failures to find a replacement for his team. Or even the mental anguish suffered from his later meetings with the psychic.

What if the true cause of Anton's most recent decline… was losing his memories of Mewtwo?

* * *

Anton was already sound asleep when Mewtwo appeared in his room.

It had always been easiest for him to form an opinion about other beings when they were unconscious. They weren't doing anything to him. They weren't specifically thinking about him. Or anything else. Everyone had a response to every stimulus, and few of them reflected their true nature as much as their thoughts did when they weren't actually thinking about anything.

Perhaps it was also because he found their minds easier to mold when their real thoughts weren't getting in the way.

...he had to stop thinking this way. It was because he had attempted to remold this human's mind that he was in this situation in the first place. And it had long since become apparent that between the mental blocks, the unexplained feedback troubles, and his desire to not make the situation any worse, a similar approach would not be the solution he needed.

Then again, if his theory was correct, it was possible to have a significant effect on the minds of others by simply existing in the same world as them.

_I never wanted you to give up on your aspirations_, Mewtwo silently thought. _No matter what I may have said and done, I never believed that you were wrong to want to improve yourself._

_You still want to believe that we can improve, and become strong enough to dominate at these physical activities, and that you can make it happen._ He took an audible breath. _Fair enough. I will not give up. And as long as my existence has any impact on yours, neither will you._

_I cannot return your memories._ He gazed up at the ceiling. _Is it possible that forming new ones will help?_


	11. Snow

**Event 11: Snow**

Mewtwo quietly walked into the kitchen where his trainer was currently cooking dinner. _"May I raise a concern?"_

Anton turned to look at him with a smile. "What is it, Poten?"

It was a simple exchange between the two individuals, but a careful listener could find quite a number of details buried within it that would accurately reflect just how much things had changed between them during the past several weeks of training.

The most obvious, of course, was that Anton had named his latest Pokémon. It was an abbreviated form of the word "potential", a word that had come up between the two on multiple occasions. Mewtwo acknowledged that it reflected the same naming creativity that Anton had repeatedly demonstrated to date, and the fact that he still thought of himself as Mewtwo proved just how much the affectionately-constructed pseudonym meant to him.

But to be fair, considering that revealing his actual name would most likely result in sending his trainer into mental fits, he could do nothing but benefit from having an alias. He had allowed Anton to come to the decision himself, which was good for ensuring that he could still take initiative when needed. And to some degree, he enjoyed the idea that the trainer would refer to him using a term that evoked mental images of his great power.

As for the smaller details? His walk was quiet, casual and comfortable for him, the result of a great deal of practice. Indeed, his basic physical regiment had finally come together, including his run, and he and the others had moved on to refining it toward that of an athlete.

It was starting to show in other ways as well. Mewtwo had once in the past employed a device that taught him a technique known as "Bulk Up" in an effort to make his newly-learned physical moves more suitable for offense against a certain dark Pokémon. He had since abandoned it, but he still remembered how it felt to use the move. And over the past few weeks, he had come to notice that his training was starting to have a similar, though considerably less overwhelming, feel to it. Still, the oddest part was that it never seemed to wear off. He was sure that his arms had grown greatly in thickness, and yet they never seemed to be sluggish or uncomfortable.

And then there were the dispositions of the individuals. Anton always seemed happy to see "Poten" or talk to him. Mewtwo wasn't sure why, considering they spoke to each other on a daily basis. But even he had to acknowledge that he found himself far less impatient with the human, and felt that his words were no longer falling on deaf ears.

In fact, the last words he had telepathically sent to his trainer seemed more like he had a suggestion than any kind of direct order, didn't they? And yet, for some reason, he felt like the human would take it just as seriously.

Thus he continued. _"It appears to me that our current training regiment is closely modeled after the techniques required to take part in the Pokéathlon's events."_

Anton's expression was puzzled. "That wasn't meant to be a secret, was it? I mean, we trained for the Pokéathlon, and you wanted to try the same kind of training."

"_True. That was not my concern."_ Mewtwo glanced through a nearby window at the field outside. _"You have repeatedly informed me that the Pokéathlon consists of ten events that test various aspects of our capabilities."_

"Yeah, that's right."

"_I have only seen evidence of nine."_

Anton tilted his head up slightly. "Maybe I forgot one, then? Hmm… I definitely ran you through all the running and jumping ones. We also worked hard with the power equipment. That leaves stamina and skill, and I could have sworn all the stamina ones are worked into… wait. Maybe it's… no, I definitely remember us throwing the white balls. Am I forgetting something else?"

"_The white balls?"_ Mewtwo asked. _"I was told that they were a general tool for practicing skill. Also having fun, if necessary."_

The human nodded. "That's true, but that's not why I got them. I was looking for anything that could help us practice for the Snow Throw."

"_The Snow Throw?"_

"It's basically a glorified snowball fight", Anton explained. "Teams make snowballs and throw them at each other. Whoever lands the most hits wins."

Mewtwo thought about this briefly. _"Compared to the other events, that sounds disorganized. Were they unable to come up with any other contests of skill?"_

"I haven't the foggiest. But yeah, that's the tenth event, and we can't exactly work on it. Aside from throwing other balls, I guess. I mean, we never get any snow around here."

The psychic blinked. _"We are in the same ecosystem as the Pokéathlon Dome. How do they get the snow for their event?"_

"Uh… I'm pretty sure it's artificial. I don't remember how they make it, but I know I don't have anything of the sort."

Mewtwo paced briefly, thinking aloud. _"It would be a significant help if you had the opportunity to work with actual snow before taking part in such a competition."_ He looked at Anton again. _"Where can we find it?"_

A sigh. "I've never seen it anywhere in Johto. Not even Kanto. I've heard of it falling in other regions, but that's pretty far to go just to practice."

By this time, it was an utterly moot point to bring up any opportunities to head to another region that had once existed. But if there were any other places that might have been overlooked or any available methods of creating snow of their own…

…and one suddenly came to mind.

However, Mewtwo pondered hesitantly to himself, that mind would have to be insane.

* * *

After consuming another of his trainer's meals and having one more good night's worth of meditation, he came to the decision that he wanted to try it anyway.

"_Upon further recollection,"_ he told Anton the next morning, _"there may be ways of finding a snow-like substance that is not caused by actual precipitation."_

The human tried to think. "Uh… I doubt we can find a place with enough frost for a decent attempt at this. Not without it getting as hard as ice."

"_It would require more than icy conditions"_, Mewtwo continued. _"Suppose it was considerably moister, due to a nearby water source. Suppose there was also some form of geological movement in the area, particularly of the sort that could cause damp ice to break free and grind it into something relatively indistinguishable from snow."_

"…in that case, I'd say I don't know what you're talking about", Anton said with a shrug. "I was never any good at science."

"_I still believe that the idea may have merit. Do we know of any places that match that description?"_

"An icy place near water that is subjected to… geology stuff. You're basically talking about that ice-filled cave on that island chain in Kanto, right? The one that's so close to the volcano on Cinnabar?"

Mewtwo tried to look contemplative. _"How long would it take us to travel there?"_

* * *

One of the more notable aspects of Mewtwo's suggestion was that, in truth, he agreed completely with Anton's assessment. He strongly doubted that anything he had just said was even slightly close to scientifically accurate.

It had served its purpose, though. After everyone had taken a short time to prepare, Eli was currently carrying the pair, as well as a still-balled Stappy, toward the Seafoam Islands.

Mewtwo was admittedly impressed. He had rarely seen more than a single person ride on the back of a Pokémon in flight, so he was pleasantly surprised to see that the Dragonite was able to bear them both without significant fatigue. And he had described himself as _weaker_ than Stappy. The psychic briefly wondered exactly how much he would have to lift to consider himself a truly powerful flying-type.

On that subject, though, it was time for him to begin his _real_ strategy. The trip would be nothing more than a waste of time if this part failed.

Since he knew the general vicinity of his target, it took him only a few seconds to initiate a psychic connection, even given the distance. _(I am sorry to disturb you, but I bring you a warning.)_

Several seconds passed.

(Who gave you permission to invade my head, manmade one?)

Hmm. Its disposition boded ill for his chances of success. _(In other circumstances, I would have respectfully made my presence known in person)_, he tried. _(I do not have that luxury. I am in the presence of a trainer, and he intends to visit your domicile.)_

(There is no need to worry. I have much experience with such humans. He will learn that I am not easily overpowered.)

_(Specifically, I am in his presence because he captured me.)_

That statement turned out to be enough to give Mewtwo the lengthy pause he had been hoping for. He continued. _(However, I do not believe he knows that you reside there.)_

(You expect me to flee and return later.)

_(No. I have a better idea in mind.)_ Mewtwo turned his attention to Anton momentarily, and then resumed. _(He is searching for something far more mundane. He wants… snow.)_

(…then he shall not be deterred. Snow does not fall here.)

_(Not yet.)_

The other Pokémon's thoughts became more suspicious. (Where do these trainers get their information? Have their devices begun to lie to them? It is difficult to think of _any other way_ that the belief that snow can be found here could possibly find its way into his head.) Its tone became utterly flat. (Would you not agree, _psychic_?)

The psychic frowned. It was difficult to get anything past this one._ (We are still twenty minutes away by flight. He does not need much. A single room with a layer six inches deep should be sufficient.)_

(Is that all? Perhaps you would also enjoy a slight breeze to cool you off from the long trip?)

_(I would not recommend that)_, Mewtwo replied emotionlessly. _(A layer of snow would be expected. A draft may convince him that there is another entrance, and he may be tempted to explore.)_

He waited several seconds, smiled to himself and continued. _(Yes, I know that you were.)_

(You are serious about this.) The other Pokémon's voice became calmer. (This is absurd. I have existed for many centuries. The humans consider me a guardian spirit. Blizzards and avalanches follow in my wake.) A brief sigh. (And you bring a human with you to my lair and demand of me… **me**… _six inches_.)

The psychic refused to be cowed by its words. Not after what this very same trainer had expected him to do. Instead, he continued to smile. _(Given your expertise, they very well could be the finest six inches in history.)_

(I am not a machine, psychic. My talents are not simply granted to those who desire their use. Not even you.)

_(No. You are not a machine.)_ It was a long shot, but it was worth trying. _(You do not exist solely for when the greatest storms are needed. You care enough for the humans that you are willing to protect them from your work… and sometimes from that which is not your doing. And you are capable of finding satisfaction in the smaller things in life too, correct?)_ His smile had adjusted, becoming less smug and more heartfelt. _(Did you know that this human has never been in snow before? Can you imagine his joy?)_

A short pause. (I was under the distinct impression that he and I were not to meet.)

Mewtwo sighed. _(I am not a machine, either. Though I may be manmade, I am alive. I will see his joy, and I will share it with him.)_ He took a deep breath. Anton might have noticed. _(You will know my joy. And… I am sure that you have some small concerns of your own. Concerns that would be well suited for a psychic to handle. Even if they are particularly trivial to him…)_

There was a longer pause. Long enough for him to remember the outcome of the last time he had tried to win someone over to his side using this offer.

(I have never needed your help.)

And with that, the mental link grew silent.

* * *

Several minutes later, Eli safely landed on the island, and Anton and Mewtwo climbed off his back.

He could stand to rest, Mewtwo thought. He could relax here for a short while. Anton would look inside the cave, and would be disappointed to find that their theory hadn't paid off. It was just a theory, anyway. It made more sense to go through these motions than to suddenly change his mind mid-flight for no apparent reason. It would turn out to be a waste of time, but nothing but that time was risked. It would not matter in the long run.

"Okay… we'll rest here for a moment before we check out the cave", Anton explained. "Of course, we need to prepare first."

"_I believe the cave is well-lit"_, the psychic offered. _"Even if we fail to find snow, the cave is very icy. A light source could lead to melting. I recommend against it."_

Anton was barely paying attention to him. He was busy moving things around in his backpack… no, wait, _a _backpack…

"…_I have not seen that container before. What happened to the one you already possess?"_

The human frowned. "Something must have happened to it. Maybe some repels broke or something. Either way, I can't get into it now. Whenever I try, it just… makes me feel sick. I probably need to ditch it soon." He nodded. "This one's got a bit more room, anyway.

"…speaking of which…" He pulled out a bottle and administered it to himself. "We can't forget this."

Mewtwo glanced to his side at Eli. _"Do repels work against humans?"_

The Dragonite shrugged. (Not as far as I know.) His eyes narrowed. (I don't remember smelling anything in the house, anyway.)

"…okay, we're set. Let's hope you know your science, okay?" Anton slung the now-closed pack onto his back and started walking toward the cave.

The psychic frowned as he followed slowly. _"I have not seen much snow myself. It is possible that we may have misremembered the elements required to…"_

"…whoa."

Mewtwo had a similar but unspoken reaction when he finally saw what his trainer had just spotted: a large, open icy cavern, complete with miniature plateaus and particularly shiny walls, almost perfectly reflecting the glimmering light cast forth from the open entrance, as well as…

…a perfect layer of snow, seemingly sparkling upon the ground, its twinkling effect only amplified by the natural mirrors around it.

With almost no hesitation, he hurried to reestablish the earlier mental link.

With equally little hesitation, his contact responded first. (…of course, there is always a chance that I will think of something for you to do for me. I am certain that you will be able to do it exceptionally well. And when I do, I know where to find you.)

Anton's hand moved to his belt to grasp the Pokéball there, and he immediately sent forth its occupant. "Hey… Stappy… take a look at this."

Mewtwo smiled at his reaction. _(When you do, I will remain true to my word.)_

(Thank you.)

He blinked. _(Why are you thanking me? You owe me nothing, and I did not expect you to change your…)_

(I know.) The other Pokémon sounded slightly hesitant. (I also know that you possess a greater deal of psychic power than those I have met that are not manmade. Possibly enough to… control the mind of another being, and force it to perform an action that it did not desire to perform?)

_(I did nothing of the sort to you.)_

(You did not even try.) The mental voice became oddly warm, given its bearer. (For that, I thank you.)

* * *

After a few minutes, it was decided that the time for wonderment was over. The group had come here for a reason.

Anton bent low to the ground and scooped up a handful of snow. "You're supposed to… ugh, this is cold… supposed to be able to roll this into a ball", he said while gazing at it. "I've never done it, but I've seen them do it all the time." After using both hands to apply a bit of pressure to it, it eventually started to look like a white ball. He looked up at the others. "You all go ahead and try it, too."

Stappy moved immediately, ducking low to the ground to pick up some of the precipitation. Mewtwo followed his lead, pausing only to note Eli's hesitation first. The substance was indeed uncomfortably cold to the touch, though growing slightly less so with each passing moment. He placed his hands together in an effort to compact it.

It was promptly crushed into a flat powdery form and fell out of his hands. Trying not to feel frustrated, he went for another handful.

Anton's voice interrupted him. "Okay, Stappy's got one. Take a look."

Indeed, he noticed, the Feraligatr had taken well to the task. It wasn't perfectly spherical, but it was solid and fit his claw easily. "There're three things we need to learn to do right to win this one", the human continued. "First, make good balls fast. Second, hit whoever we throw them at. Third, get hit less often."

"_Are we expected to dodge or will we find cover?" _Mewtwo wondered aloud. _"I am not familiar with the event's layout."_

"It's… there's not a lot of room. Each team has to stay in a small space. Most of the time, they don't get hit because everyone else misses. As for cover…" He smiled suddenly. "There's a trick to that. Let's try it."

He moved to Stappy's side. "I need you to roll up a larger one." As the Pokémon nodded, the human returned his attention to the other two. "While we do this, keep working on the little ones."

Mewtwo's second attempt turned out considerably better, at least in terms of the snow forming a cohesive whole. After a bit of thought, he rolled it against another patch and watched as it expanded slightly.

"Okay, see this?" The psychic's attention snapped upward at the sound of Anton's voice and focused on Stappy's latest construction: a particularly large mass of snow that went a bit above his waist. "Having one this size is a good idea, especially if you can make it fast and the guy making it's in the middle. Two reasons. Poten, try throwing your ball at it."

He didn't hesitate. With a quick motion of his arm, he lobbed his masterpiece at the larger form, which failed to budge as the smaller snowball crumbled upon collision. It seemed almost wasteful.

"As you can see", the human continued, "it can take a few hits. That way it's not you guys getting hit, and we get a nice lead. And when you throw it…"

The Feraligatr bent down slightly and wrapped his claws around the snowy mass. Seconds later, he had successfully removed it from the ground and was holding it in front of his chest with only minor visible effort. Mewtwo found it fairly impressive, especially given how little time it had taken him to construct a ball of that size.

In fact, it seemed to be growing even larger.

Suddenly, he felt a great amount of weight upon his body, enough that he dropped to a single knee. He could no longer see clearly with his eyes; his mind was still able to perceive the others and note that Stappy was no longer holding anything. With some physical exertion, he returned to a standing position and shook his head rapidly, creating a line of sight to the others and convincing him that he had just been half-buried in the substance.

A very cold substance, he had to admit.

His head was still a bit wobbly, but he could perceive the form of the human nodding. "This is still only worth one hit", Anton explained. "But right now, he's an easy target. He can't move easily, and he looks kinda…"

He couldn't finish the sentence before he suddenly burst out laughing. Even the reptiles had amused expressions on their faces and seemed to be holding their reactions back. Mewtwo glared at them as best as he could.

(Sorry), Stappy offered quickly. (It's just… you really should have seen the expression on your…)

"I wish I brought a camera!" Anton interrupted between chuckles. "The way you're just…"

He was quickly silenced by the snowball that Mewtwo had been quickly constructing from the debris of the previous assault. Seeing this was enough to break Eli's attempt at silence, and he was soon roaring with his own laughter.

He promptly received a snowball to the head as well.

Mewtwo smirked to himself. It served them right for daring to laugh at his…

…his train of thought derailed as he was struck yet again, this time by a smaller projectile than before.

In mere seconds, the training exercise had lost all hope of being considered glorified by any definition.

* * *

"_I hope that you have all learned your lesson."_

Mewtwo sat wearily on a small pile of snow, his heavy breathing made more obvious by the cold conditions of the cave. Despite the many times he had been struck, he felt confident in claiming to be the victor of that particular showdown.

Stappy nodded slowly from his position on his back. (I… hope you mean the one about how to make our hits count when we do this for real, right?)

Eli was resting flat on his chest, so his nod was less visible. (You know it. We'll be ready for them.)

(Of course, we won't have Anton backing us up next time, so…)

Their attentions drifted over to the human, who had been recovering slowly from some particularly strong hits. Right now, he was lying half buried in one of the larger mounds, clearly moving as little as possible.

…actually…

(Is he awake?)

Stappy sat up slowly and crawled unsteadily over to his location. (I think he is…)

His voice broke off and his expression became worrisome. (His… his skin's awfully pale right now.) He looked at the others quickly. (How long have we been here?)

(Can we see sunlight in here?) Eli asked.

Mewtwo thought quickly. _"I believe it has been slightly more than two hours since we arrived."_

(That long?) Stappy exclaimed in shock. (In _this_ cold?)

"_We needed to devote time to training our…"_

(If we were going to take this long, he should have at least bundled up!)

Mewtwo stared at him blankly. _"Bundled?"_

(Multiple layers of clothing? So he doesn't freeze to death at this temperature?)

"_That seems unlikely. We do not bear clothing, and we endure."_

The Feraligatr looked at him impatiently. (We're not human. He's not as tough as us. He needs proper covering.) He shook his head. (This is simply _not_ proper weather for _shorts_!)

"_He possesses another type of clothing?"_

(You don't…) In a flash, Stappy was on his feet. (Forget it! Let's just get him someplace warm, okay? We don't have time to argue!)

(Um…)

The two arguers glanced over at the Dragonite. (To be honest… I… I'm not doing too hot myself…)

Mewtwo nodded in understanding. _"Dragons do not respond well to ice."_

(Another…) Stappy was starting to show frustration. (This is just… will you _please_ help me?)

The psychic suddenly realized that he hadn't even moved to help yet, and that this was not reflecting well on him. Especially not if the cave's usual denizen had chosen to not become involved. He stood up quickly and moved to the human's side. _"Very well. I will move Anton. I believe you have a better chance of helping Eli, correct?"_

With some effort, he managed to lift the human in his arms. This was more than he was used to carrying, he had to admit. It didn't help that Anton appeared to be unconscious, and weighed considerably more than any of the other trainers he had met recently.

The cave's exit was easy to access, at least. The sun was still shining brightly, and it helped to warm his body. Though for some reason, the human didn't seem to notice, and his body was still uncomfortably cold…

Stappy emerged after him, trying his hardest to support Eli. (This isn't going to be enough, is it?) he asked.

"_You believe that they need medical attention?" _Mewtwo pondered aloud.

(I… I'm not sure. We might be able to help, but if we can't…)

The psychic suddenly had a thought. _"Is this about his lack of money?"_

(First things first), Stappy said in a suddenly forceful tone of voice. (Let's get them back home. Eli, you go back in the Pokéball. I'll handle this.)

Mewtwo blinked. _"You can get us there? You cannot fly."_

(I… know.) The Feraligatr shook his head. (But we need to start moving.)

"_Eli is our only hope of crossing the mountains. We should allow him…"_

(Take a look at him! He's still shivering! He's not ready to fly yet!)

Mewtwo frowned. _"In that case, we should rest first."_

(Here? So close to the ice? No.)

"_Do you have a better idea?"_

Stappy glared at him. (_Yes._ I'll carry you and Anton to the mainland. There, Eli will take over when he's ready.)

"_You?"_

(Don't worry. I've surfed with more than one passenger before.)

"_You want me… to ride on __**your**__ back… across the…"_

(_Yes! _It's called _Surf!_ That's how most trainers cross the water! What part of that don't you understand?)

Mewtwo shook his head repeatedly. _"This is a bad idea."_

(_Why?_ What's wrong with it?)

"_I… do not like it."_

Stappy promptly released Eli on the ground and started marching toward Mewtwo. (Listen to me carefully. My trainer may be in trouble. We need to help him, and we need to get him home. Now.) His claw reached out and grasped the psychic by the wrist. (I am going to take us, and I do _not_ want to hear…)

"_**Let go of me.**__"_

The claw immediately let go. (We don't have time for this!) He moved toward Anton and his Pokéballs. (I don't care if you don't like it. Right now, Anton's more im…)

"_**Do not recall him."**_ Mewtwo's eyes were starting to glow.

(You… you're unbelievable.) Stappy threw up his claws in frustration. (This whole trip was your idea, and you're going to let them suffer for your own stupid selfish reasons. It's like you don't even know how a team…)

"_**Be quiet!"**_ The psychic was now the one angrily advancing on the other, not even bothering to use his legs in the process. _"If I had not chosen to come here, you would not possess a team at all. I am __**helping**__ you. Allow me to do so, and display proper gratitude."_ He glanced to his side at the waves. _"I will not ride you across the ocean. I __**never will.**__ The discussion is__** over.**__"_

The immediate vicinity was silent for a moment, save for the sound of waves.

Eli spoke first. (I think Stappy may have a…)

(Yes, master. I understand.) The Feraligatr's voice had changed to a monotone. (I am sorry, master. I will not speak out of turn again.)

Mewtwo sighed. _"I do not need your sarcasm. We…"_

He stopped. There hadn't been a trace of sarcasm in the other Pokémon's voice. Indeed, rather than responding to his words, he had walked directly over to the two quietly. With a single claw, he tapped a Pokéball on his trainer's waist, and was immediately pulled into the device.

Eli groaned softly as he started to rise. (I hope you know what you're doing.)

The psychic didn't answer. He was too busy silently understanding what had just happened during that conversation. He hadn't even been intending to… but Stappy had… and now he was…

…and for what reason? Just because Mewtwo didn't want to…

He stared down at the snowy ground and sighed. That had been nothing short of petty, and he didn't like thinking of himself as one who would still resort to such methods in such simple circumstances. In fact, for the first time in a while, he was starting to hate himself again. This outcome wasn't what he or anyone else wanted. Especially not Anton…

…**Anton.**

He turned to face Eli again. _"We have wasted time. Have you sufficiently warmed up to fly?"_

(I… I'm not sure. Our place is pretty far to the northwest. I might get tired.)

"_Do not worry. I have the utmost confidence in you."_ A sudden thought, possibly starting from the other Pokémon, came to the psychic. _"Do you see the sun?"_

(Yeah.) Eli shrugged. (We'll be going away from it.)

"_Yes. Notice how warm it is. Feel its rays."_ With some effort, he lifted the human until he was resting upon the Pokémon's back. "_Do you intend to feel cold in its presence?"_

The Dragonite rolled his eyes. (I wish it worked that fast.)

"_I will support Anton. You will support us. The sun will support you." _He climbed on Eli's back as well. _"Start flying."_

Eventually he did. Despite the exhaustion, the group started to make slow vertical progress. After about half a minute, it was possible to look down upon the entire island chain.

(…not sure… I can keep doing this…)

Possibly, Mewtwo considered. It was worth testing, at least. _"If you feel tired, head higher. Head for the sun. It will help."_

(…the sun. Got it.)

And with that, Eli continued to fly higher. It was amazing, the psychic considered, how much the power of positive thinking could improve one's performance, even at a time like this. He could almost call it a weaker form of hypnosis. Even he was starting to feel warmer in the presence of the Dragonite's enthusiasm.

Eli smiled equally warmly. (…I can feel it… the sun is strong…)

And with that, he closed his eyes and pitched forward.


End file.
